


Baby Blue Kryptonite

by hiddleshoran15



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-28
Updated: 2014-01-10
Packaged: 2017-12-06 19:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 53,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/739205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiddleshoran15/pseuds/hiddleshoran15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High School Stony AU. This has most of the cinematic universe characters in some way or another. It's the whole geek meets jock story, with a few twists along the way. Also found on tumblr at www.babybluekryptonite.tumblr.com</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: Introductions.

**Author's Note:**

> And so it begins.

Tony: Tony groaned as his phone alarm blasted AC/DC. He leaned over to hit the OFF button on the dock, but ended up leaning too far and falling right to the floor. He groaned again, and laid facedown, defeated once again. 'What a great way to start the first day of school...' he thought futilely. 

Steve: Steve heard the beeping of his cheap alarm clock and reached blindly to hit the SNOOZE. However, the button was jammed and the incessant beeping just kept going on so he sighed and sat up, stretching as he did so. He yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before making his way to his dresser and unplugging the wailing clock to be greeted by silence. He shuffled his way to his bathroom so he could take his shower, to hopefully wake him up for the first day at a new school. Hopefully to calm some of the nerves that were churning inside him like a tempest. 

Pepper: "SHOOT TO THRILL/PLAY TO KILL/ TOO MANY WOMEN WITH TOO MANY PILLS/" blared Pepper's phone as she was getting a call. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the wild guitar riffs and screaming voice woke her out of her sleep. "Tony...." she grumbled, hating her early morning wake-up calls from her longtime best friend, Tony Stark.   
"Tony! If you wake me up with your so-called music ONE MORE TIME, so help me God you will wake up underwater!" she hissed angrily into the phone.   
"Hey, Pep. Good morning to you too, Sunshine."  
Pepper sighed. She couldn't be mad at him for long.   
"What is it, Tony? Is everything alright?"   
"Yeah, everything's okay. Do you need a ride to school? I'm picking up Brucey, you know how he loves that Mustang. I'm picking up Clint too, but you know how he is with Bruce, he worships him, so the ride should be interesting enough. We'll definitely have enough seats so it'll be all good, so just let me know if you need a ride, Pep. Okay? Pep? Pep, are you there? Pepper!"   
"Huh? Wha? Oh, ya, thanks Tony..a ride would be nice. Thanks. I'll be ready in about 45 minutes. See you then, thanks. Bye!" she said.  
"No problem, Pep. See you then." she heard from the other end, and then the *click* of the phone being hung up.   
She sighed. It was so early, she was so nervous, she didn't know WHAT to wear..first days of school always stressed her out, since it was something different and she didn't know what to expect. And without knowing what to expect, how can you plan ANYTHING? Pepper was a planner by nature and didn't feel right if she wasn't running by a strict schedule. She went off to her closet to make her decision on what to wear, one of the only things she could control about today. 

Bruce: Bruce felt something soft on his arm as he quieted down from his sobbing and screaming. He looked down to see his black cat, Atom, sitting on his bed staring lovingly into his face. He wiped his tearstained cheeks dry and sighed, falling back into his pillow and pulling the cat into his arms.   
    Lately, he had been having these severely horrible nightmares every night, that he'd wake up crying and screaming from. They were just awful, he knew that much, just never remembered exactly what was horrible about them. He knew that it would take a load off his shoulders if he told someone, but he wasn't one to burden others with his problems. So he just suffered in silence night after night.   
     He looked at his phone to see the blinking '1 NEW MESSAGE' on the screen. He unlocked his phone and saw that it was from Tony:   
     ;Picking you up in 45 minutes man, see you then. Picking up Pepper and Clint too. That last one is AAAAALLL for you...I know how much you love your little fangirl. Mehehehhe.;   
   Bruce smirked at that last part. He knew exactly what Tony meant about Clint being his fangirl..Even though Clint had Nat as his girlfriend, he had a serious man-crush on Bruce.   
  Then, Bruce saw the name right before that. Pepper would be going too? He hadn't seen her since before she went on vacation in July, and had missed her terribly (more than he would admit) since then. Over the summer, certain feelings had begun to erupt inside him whenever she crossed his mind. He didn't know WHAT he was feeling or why, all he knew was that he couldn't wait to see her. 

Clint: 'THIS ONE IS FOR THE BOYS WITH THE BOOMER SYSTEM/TOP DOWN, AC WITH THE COOLER SYSTEM/WHEN THEY COME UP IN THE CLUB THEY BE BLAZIN' UP/GOT STACKS ON DECK LIKE HE SAVIN' UP'   
"He ill, he real, he might gotta deal. He pop bottles and he got the right kinda build. He cold, he dope, he might sell coke. He always in the air but he never flies coach.." rapped Clint with Nicki as he strutted to his closet. He looked for something acceptable to wear (a black & purple t-shirt with jeans and Chucks) and threw it on. He kept rapping the next lyrics as he walked like the bad betch he was to his bathroom to clean himself up. He shook his bahawkadonk booty as the chorus came on.   
"BOY YOU GOT MY HEARTBEAT RUNNIN' AWAY/ BEATIN' LIKE A DRUM AND IT'S COMIN' YOUR WAY/CAN'T YOU HEAR THAT BOOM BADOOM BOOM BOOM BADOOM BOOM AY/HE'S GOT THAT SUPERBASS/" he sang with a mouth full of spit and toothpaste. He heard his phone go off in the other room (with another Nicki Minaj song as a ringtone, no less) and went to go check it after cleaning his face off and winking to the mirror.   
    '1 NEW MESSAGE' it said. He unlocked his phone and read the message Tony had just sent him:   
        ;Clint, I'll be there in about half an hour, okay? After I pick you up I have to go get Pepper and the source of your rustled jimmies..Brucey. Try not to scare him too much today though, man. I know you love him and all but Bruce is Bruce..he likes his space. We definitely don't wanna piss him off again. You remember that..I'm shuddering right now. Anyway. See ya then.;   
   Clint laughed and sent back:  
     ;Okay, thanks man. I'll try to control myself, and keep my jimmies from being rustled too much. No, we don't want a pissy Bruce first thing in the morning on the first day of school. See ya then.;   
   Clint made sure everything was in order, then sent another text to his girlfriend, Natasha:   
        ;Hey Nat, good morning (: ;  
He smiled. While he would admit confidently to his man-crush on Bruce, he really honest-to-God loved Nat. She was everything he could ever want and more: brave, intimidating, tough; yet beautiful, sweet, and loving once you broke down the walls around her heart. He believed he had done just that. He smiled as he got a text back from her, then donned his shades and belted out every remaining lyric to every Nicki Minaj song he could as he waited for Tony. 

Natasha: Natasha jumped as she woke up from one of those awful falling dreams. She blushed slightly when she realized that it was just a dream, and she was scared out it. She didn't like feeling scared. At least no one was around to see her weakness.   
   She walked to her closet, stretching slightly. She flicked through hanger after hanger of clothes unsuitable to wear on the first day back. She finally settled on a plain black v-neck and dark jeans and black boots. She went to the mirror to style her short red hair in its usual wavy look. She finished that then put minimal makeup on (just a little eyeliner and mascara) when her phone went off with a Nicki Minaj song she couldnt stand. 'Only for him...' she thought with a slight smile. She sees 'NEW MESSAGE FROM CLINT(YOURBAMFBOYFRIEND)'she chuckled when she saw the name he programmed himself as. She read:  
    ;Hey Nat, good morning (: ;  
 Although she would deck anyone who pointed it out, it was the simple things like this that made her cheeks redden and a goofy smile appear on her face every time. She had never felt like this before, never opened up to anyone this much before. Clint was the first person willing to try to break through her hard outer shell to see who she really was inside. She trusted and loved him with every single thing inside her, and knew she'd do anything to save him. Anything. She sent back:   
    ;Good morning Clint, my BAMFBOYFRIEND. Lol. You're lucky I love you or I would've kicked your ass for putting Nicki Minaj as my ringtone. ;P but, I do love you, so you're granted permission to keep breathing :)  ;  
    She set her phone down, then went to look in her full-length mirror. She fidgeted with her shirt a little before grabbing her bag and heading out to her car to go to school. 

Loki: 'What is this space heater doing constricting my chest? Foolish mortal item!' thought Loki as he struggled to pull what he thought was an oddly shaped space heater off of his body. He then realized that this "space heater" was really his brother, Thor, who had ended up falling asleep in his bed after Loki stirred from nightmares again. Loki prodded Thor's sleeping body, watching as his chest slowly rose and fell in quite a relaxed pattern. Thor had a slight smile on his face and didn't stir one bit.   
'He must be having good dreams..' thought Loki. 'At least one of us did..'   
  Thor twitched a little bit after a few minutes or so of poking. He opened his eyes and looked up at Loki's smirking face.   
"Good morning, brother. I do appreciate you keeping me safe from any nightmares, yet I feel that seeing as its August, your heating services will not be needed." Loki said, being playfully sarcastic.   
"I apologize, little brother. I'll sleep in my own bed tonight if it's that bad. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you." teased Thor, since he knew Loki would deny it all just to have some comfort for those nightmares.   
"No, Thor..it's alright. I'll..I'll deal with it. Don't worry about it. Aghh, school is in an hour and I have to put all of my AP work in its corresponding folders so my instructors don't fail me before I even start this year. Time to get up, big guy." and he set off to get ready.   
'There's no way you could fail, Loki. You're a genius sophomore in all junior and senior AP classes. You're guaranteed a full ride scholarship to wherever you would like to go. Just be calm, brother." Thor said in his easy, booming voice. Loki simply shrugged at Thor, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.   
   In his walk-in closet that he shares with Thor, he picked out a black, green, and gold t-shirt, with black jeans and green Chucks. He watches as Thor picks a gray and red shirt, average wash jeans, and black boots.   
   Loki studies his older brother's every move. He's looked up to him for as long as he could remember, even though they weren't really brothers. I should take this moment to say that Thor's family had adopted Loki when he was just a baby. He and Thor are only a year apart because of it. This led to a little bit of competition, but never really much. The two brothers acted as if they were related by blood and not just word. Thor took care of his younger brother, and Loki looked up to his elder. He idolized him. Thor was his protector, and always had been. He had held him through bad dreams for as long as he could remember, even to this day. He couldn't be without his brother, no matter what happened. When Thor joined band, Loki joined band. (Thor plays tuba and Loki, trumpet.) When Thor went to summer camp, Loki went to summer camp. The two brothers were inseparable, and always would be.   
  Loki realized he was zoning and snapped back into focus. He finished getting everything ready, and saw that it was almost time to go.   
"Brother, can I drive? I've gotten my permit, I know the basics...PLEAAAAAAASE?" begged Loki as Thor grabbed the keys to his truck.   
"I don't know..she's my baby. Promise you'll be extra careful?" Thor asked hesitantly.  
"Oh, yes yes yes! Does that mean you will??" Loki was practically jumping up and down on the spot by this point.  
Thor chuckled. "Sure, little brother. Come on, we don't want to be late." he ruffled Loki's jet-black hair as he passed him to walk out the door. 

Thor: "Yes, Thor..I'll marry you!" Jane said with glee, as she beamed from ear to ear.   
  "You will? Really?" Thor said, not believing this awesome dream could be coming true.  
But instead of answering, Jane did something strange. She stepped forward and started poking and prodding Thor's massive body. After a few minutes of the poking, Thor stirred, and realized it was just a dream. He opened his eyes to see his younger brother trapped under his massive arm, prodding him all over.   
   He tried not to show his disappointment as he talked to his younger brother, Loki, before they got up to get ready. He couldn't believe it had just been a dream. It had felt so...real. Jane Foster was the girl of his dreams. She was smart, beautiful, quiet..but she would fight for what she believed in, and he liked that strength. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but just couldn't find the words. He made up his mind, though, that by the end of junior year she would be his girlfriend. He was going to tell her how he felt this year, just didn't know when.   
   Thor was the biggest linebacker on the football team and yet, he was afraid to tell Jane how he felt. He felt absolutely terrified anytime he thought of how that situation could play out. What if she says no? What if she hates him forever?  He couldn't imagine not having her in his life, yet not "having" her was killing him as well. He was so torn, he didn't know what to do. He was snapped out of his musings then by Loki asking to drive to school.   
    He debated over this. While Loki was the smartest sophomore (and maybe person, aside from Tony Stark) in Marvel High, he had only gotten his permit weeks before. Thor was hesitant to answer, because his truck, Mjolnir, was his baby. He said yes though, because he saw the excitement and hopefulness in his little brother's eyes and couldn't deny him anything. He tossed him the keys and they made their way out the door. 


	2. Ride to Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the ride to school, the gang picks up a sobbing Steve Rogers on the side of the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is where they start getting really long. Sorry about that.

Tony: After Tony had picked himself up off the floor, he went to his walk-in closet and said, "Jarvis! Pick me out something..nice for today."  
     "Yes, Master Stark. What color shirt would you like?"   
    "Doesn't matter, Jarvis. Surprise me. Have everything laid out by the time I'm out of the shower."   
   Tony walked into his bathroom and stared into the mirror. He saw his disheveled brown hair sticking up in every direction. He saw his brown eyes still plugged with sleep. He saw his slight, short build, and wished he was taller. (As he did every morning.) He stared at himself intently for what seemed like forever, and got lost in his thoughts.  
    He thought of his friends. He thought of Pepper, who had been his best friend for as long as he could remember. Bruce, who he met freshman year in chemistry. Clint, who was every bit as fabulous and sassy as any girl you could meet, but deep down was a good soul and one of his oldest friends. Natasha, who had (honestly) scared him half to death since day one, but would stick up for her friends through thick and thin. He thought of Loki, who was little brother to the biggest guy in school, and who was a genius for his age. He thought of all his friends and how much (though he would never admit it right out, that would be too gross and mushy) he loved each and every one of them.   
    He thought of himself. When he looked in the mirror, Tony never saw anything he liked. All he saw was a short, skinny nerd whose glasses were too big for his face and who wouldn't stand a chance in a fight. He wished he could be someone different. Any other person would DREAM to be Tony Stark, son of the billionaire Howard Stark. Tony had everything he could want (material wise). Tony was also a total genius, only rivaling with Loki. There was no competition between them though, Tony saw Loki as the younger brother he never had. He took care of him, and stayed in Thor's good graces because of it. Thor kept Tony from being hurt, physically. He was a bodyguard almost.   
      Tony liked Thor a lot though, even though he was a total jock. They were both in band together and had been since freshmen year.   
   Tony played drums and had since he was little. All of his friends were in band.   He knew that it didn't help his social status to be the geeky drummer but he didn't care. He loved it.   
    He went to get his shower, and stood in there for almost 30 minutes just trying to calm his nerves. He wasn't looking forward to the inevitable bullying that would ensue, as it had every year. At least now he had Thor to protect from the physical. But it wasn't the physical that hurt him, really. It was the words that cut him to the core. Unfortunately, no amount of brute strength could stop him from hearing those. Once he felt that he couldn't possibly calm himself anymore, (which wasn't very calm, for the record) he got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself to walk back to his closet. Once there, he said, "Jarvis, what have you got for me?"   
   He saw his automated showcase turn around and light up to show a dark-red-and-gold t-shirt with dark wash jeans and dark-red chucks. "How is this, Master Stark?" asked Jarvis.   
"Hmm..I like the look you're going for, Jarvis. Good job." said Tony approvingly, and got dressed. Once he was dressed, he texted Clint and Bruce to let them know he'd be picking them up soon. Then, he called Pepper to see if she needed a ride. She said yes (after yelling at him, I might add.) So Tony went to go read the latest technological news before grabbing his keys and heading to one of his cars. 

Steve: After Steve had gotten out of the shower, he went to his dresser to go pick something suitable to wear for his first day. After a few minutes of deciding, he settled on a blue t-shirt with a white star on the chest, dark wash jeans, and black chucks.  
He put the clothes on and went to go look at himself in his full-length mirror.   
     He studied his broad shoulders, his golden blond hair, his sculpted muscles. Of course, HE didn't see any of these things. What he saw was the scrawny little blond nerd who'd get bullied endlessly in middle school. It had gotten so bad that his adoptive parents, John and Stacey Ross, pulled him out from 6th grade to 11th grade. He would now be re-entering school for his junior year. During those years, he was homeschooled by Stacey. When he was being homeschooled, he made it a point to bulk up and play football so that when he rejoined public school, he would never be bullied again.   
   None of the guys from his team knew about his backstory except for Thor. Thor was the biggest linebacker on the team, and while he looked entirely intimidating, he really was just a big teddy bear (unless you hurt him or someone he cared about). Thor knew about the bullying and he vowed to be there for Steve whenever he needed him, though anyone who would attack Steve would be really stupid. He looked huge on the outside, but would never hurt a fly. He was like Thor in that aspect.   
     Steve was more nervous than he would ever admit. Despite the confident façade he puts up, those wounds never fully healed. He still heard all of the snide comments and taunting remarks just like they were being repeated on loop on some sick, twisted mental playlist. He felt the bruises not only on the outside, but inside too. He started to let his worry take him over and steeled his crumbling nerves; it was nearly time to go.   
     Steve went to his desk and moved around a few rough sketches before actually finding his schedule, a map of Marvel High, and his car keys. He took another quick look in the mirror, looked at his terrified blue eyes, took a deep breath and walked out the door. 

Tony: Tony made the short drive to Clint's house. He lived with his adoptive parents, Phillip and Maria Barton, just a block away. As he pulled down the familiar road, he watched the sights outside of the window. He saw all the nice houses, silhouetted by a backdrop of tall trees and the morning sun rising. Tony was ALWAYS and early riser; he always woke up doing some project or other (if he even sleeps, that is.) He drove down the road till he found Clint's house, and pulled in.  
    He saw the big, white Victorian mansion standing regally on a lawn of perfect green grass. He figured Clint had been watching out his window or something, because not two seconds later did Clint come strutting out of his front door, giving Maria a kiss on the cheek before hopping off the porch and onto the walkway. Maria waved at Tony before retreating back inside from the chilly August morning air.   
"TONY I MISSED YOU TONY OH MY GOD TONY HI!" Clint said excitedly as soon as the door was open.   
"Clint..I just saw you yesterday..you live a block away from me!" Tony said with a laugh.  
 "I know. I missed you though."  
  "Whatever you say, Clint.." Tony said, shaking his head and driving off.   
"So where to now?"   
"We're gonna go pick Bruce up. Good thing you always call shotgun. Don't want you two getting a little carried away in the backseat, do we now?" Tony said with a chuckle.  
"Ooooh, no sir we do not. TO BROOSE!" Clint shouted and fist pumped.   
Tony sped up as he went down the deserted road to Bruce's house. Bruce only lived about 3 streets over, but these streets were so long that it seemed like it took forever to get there, even WITH Tony speeding.  He pulled into Bruce's drive and waited for about a minute before seeing the familiar face poke out of the upstairs window.   
"I'll be down in a second, sorry! Atom was sleeping on my glasses case and wouldn't get up!"   
Tony gave a thumbs up while Clint waved frantically from the passenger seat. By this point, he was in total fangirl mode and Tony just rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh.   
  After about a minute or so, Tony saw Bruce trip out the doorway. He was holding all kinds of books and binders and papers in his arms, rather than his bag. His glasses were already askew, and his wavy brown hair disheveled. His one shoelace was untied, which was probably the source of his tripping. He made his way to the car without tripping again and stood outside the back door behind Tony. He was shuffling his papers around, trying to get a free hand to open the door with. Tony saw him struggling, and decided to intercede.   
"Jarvis, open the backseat door on my side."  
"Of course, Master Stark. Mr. Banner does look as if he's having a bit of trouble." Jarvis said and the door popped open for Bruce.   
"Th..thanks Tony. I realized all of my AP work was scattered on my desk just this morning and didn't have time to put it away, what with Atom being a brat and all. Good morning, Clint." he said without looking up from his humongous pile of papers.  
"Hiiiiii Broosey! How are YOU?" Clint was turned around in his seat now, straining at the belt holding him back.   
"Just peachy, Clint, thanks for asking. How about yourself?" he said monotonously, as if he wasn't even really paying attention.   
Clint took that chance to babble Bruce's ear off about every insignificant detail that had happened in his life since he had last seen him. Tony caught Bruce's eye in the rear view mirror and they shared a smirk before Bruce got back to work.   
   Tony pulled out on the main road to make his way to Pepper's house. He drove along until he found the suburbs where she lived with her parents and 4 brothers. He drove down the long, winding road till he finally found a sunshine yellow house with white shutters.   
   Pepper's house was the classic Suburbia house. Yellow with white trim, white picket fence, daisies, the whole deal. He saw Pepper pop out of the white front door and walk towards the car. He heard an intake of breath from the backseat, and looked in the mirror to see Bruce looking up from his pile, jaw practically on the ground. He was mesmerized. Tony smiled and wondered to himself what could be going on about that. He'd just have to find out himself.   
    Pepper walked to the car and got in next to Bruce. She was right behind Clint, so she gave him a hug from behind before she sat down.   
"Hi everyone! Good morning! Are we ready for the first day of school?!"   
A unanimous groan rang throughout the car.   
"Oh, come on. You guys are no fun! I bet Bruce is ready for school. Right Bruce? Bruce..do you need help? We're almost to school and you look like your bookbag puked its contents on your lap."   
"Uhh..I uhh..ya, th..thanks Pep." Tony again looked in the mirror to see Bruce reddening from his shirt collar to the roots of his hair. He smirked.   
  They made small talk until an AC/DC song came on the radio and Tony turned it up to ear-shattering levels. Then he rolled all the windows down, turned it up even more, and sped off to school. 

Clint: Clint sat by his living room window to watch for Tony. He had nothing else to do but wait. He saw his adoptive mom, Maria, walk in the room with her robe wrapped around her tight.   
"Hi, Mom."  
"Hi honey..how are you feeling? Are you nervous?"   
"Not really. I don't really get nervous for stuff like this. It's just another day, I guess."  
"That's good honey..how's Natasha doing? Dear girl, we haven't seen her in so long!"   
"Its only been a few days, Mom..but she's good. I'll see what she's doing tonight if you wanna see her that bad."  
"That would be wonderful sweetie. I'm glad you two are a thing. She seems like she could kick your ass though.." Maria said with a smirk.  
"Mooom! She..couldn't..okay..well..she wouldn't!" Clint protested.  
"Whatever you say, dear. Oh, it looks like Tony's here! Better be on your way!!" Maria said, hurrying him out the door.   
"Bye, Mom. Love you!" Clint said as he leaned to give Maria and kiss on the cheek.  
"Oh, bye honey. Have a good first day! Love you too sweetie." Maria said, and waved hello to Tony before retreating back inside.   
    Clint went to the front passenger side door. He had called dibs on shotgun when Tony had first gotten his license. It was a permanent shotgun as long as he was in the car. If not, someone else could have it..but  believe me, Clint would know.   
    Clint greeted Tony then watched as he made the drive to Bruce's house. He thought about how it'd be when he saw Nat for the first time today. He wondered what she'd be wearing..how she'd look (drop-dead gorgeous, he was sure..)...but most importantly, how she'd react to a very public greeting. She wasn't much for PDA in public, but he wished she'd at least let him hug her or hold her hand in public. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize they had already pulled into Bruce's driveway.   
    He saw Bruce pop his head out of a window and say something about his cat wearing glasses, but didn't quite hear it all. He waited until he came out, disheveled as always. He tripped his way out the door, most likely over an untied shoelace. Once he got in the car, he said good morning to Clint and Clint took that as a green light to start talking.   
    Clint told Bruce all about every aspect of his life since he had last seen him. Clint LOVED Bruce for some reason. He had met him freshman year through Tony. Clint and Tony had been best friends for as long as he could remember. And Pepper, too. Tony and Pepper were the people he trusted the most, other than Nat, that is. So when Tony started hanging with this quiet genius from chemistry class, Clint felt a bit left out. He talked to Pepper about it and they decided to hang out with Tony and Bruce one time, all together. The four had clicked from then on.   
   Soon enough, they had made their way to Pepper's house. When Pepper walked out the door, Clint heard Bruce gasp from the backseat. Wondering if he'd found something alive in his massive pile of crap, Clint turned around. What he saw was something he could never expect. He saw Bruce looking up from the Hoarders scene in his lap at Pepper, with his jaw on the floor. He was completely transfixed, and reddening more with every second. He knew that look. That was the look he got when he first saw Natasha back in 8th grade. Even back then, she was a stunner. Soon after they met, and he broke through the thick concrete around her heart, they were a couple and had been ever since. Clint knew that look well. It was the look of love. He smiled to himself and felt happy for his friend. He just hoped Pepper would feel the same way.   
   Pepper opened the door behind him and gave Clint a hug from behind. Him and Pepper were like brother and sister, and always leaned upon one another. They could be physical at times but it never meant anything. They were both very huggy people. And since Clint didn't get much hugging in public from Nat, he always had Pepper. Nat didn't mind. Her and Pepper had grown to be like sisters. The two most important girls in his life were close and he couldn't be happier.   
    He watched as Pepper helped Bruce organize himself in the backseat. He saw the way Bruce stuttered and stammered, not able to make eye contact. He saw the way his face and neck were beet red. He knew that feeling. He knew it well. He felt happy for Bruce, and kind of jealous. Because if it all worked out with him and Pep, then Clint would have to share his Broosey. And that was something he wasn't prepared to do. But would, since he loved him.   
    He groaned as Tony started blasting his weird ABCD music or whatever the heck it was called. 'Someone should play some Nicki Minaj up in here..' he thought. But before he knew it, all the windows were down, the music was beyond ear-shattering levels, and Tony was speeding off to school. 

Bruce: When Bruce got done getting ready, he set off to look for his glasses. He always misplaced them each night and looking for them in the morning was always a challenge. He had been stumbling around blindly so far, but he managed to get dressed somehow. When he thought he saw the end of the glasses case, he groaned. His fat black cat, Atom, was sleeping on them.   
    Bruce had had Atom since he was 3, so that made her around 13 years old. She was fat, lazy, grumpy..yet she loved Bruce and always gave him company.   
    He tried pleading with her. "Atom," he said, "Atom, wake up..Atom, I need my glasses...could you..could you maybe move?" he tried to pull the case out from under her but heard a low growl escape from her. He decided to wait a minute, then tried again. This time, she hissed and opened her eyes, batting at his hand. 'Thank God she's declawed or I'd be going to school looking like I live with Edward Scissorhands..' Bruce thought to himself. He tried one final time, getting the same results. He sighed dejectedly. 'What am I gonna do now?' he thought. Just then, he heard a car outside, and went, "Craaaaap..."   
   Sure enough, Tony and Clint were outside in his driveway. He poked his head out his window and told them the situation. Lucky that Tony was perpetually early or he'd be in trouble.  Tony gave him a thumbs up, so Bruce poked back into his room, and turned to look at Atom.   
  "Alright, Atom, no more screwing around. I'm going to pick up my..my..Oh God. Craaaaap..." he stopped mid-sentence as he caught sight of his desk.  
    All of his papers for his summer work were strewn everywhere on his desk. None of them were in folders or even in the correct order. He gave up, and figured he'd organize it on the way there. He turned and saw Atom get up and move over to his bed.   
   "Good girl, Atom. Thanks. Alright. I'm going. Time to..Oh my God, are you KIDDING me?!?!" he had looked down and saw that he hadn't put his shoes on yet. "Gaaaaahhhh!!" he sighed and ran over to grab his shoes, put them on, and tied one before he gave up. He put his glasses on, but one of the arms wasn't over his ear. He had one lens covering his eye and one only halfway covering the other eye. He grabbed his enormous pile of papers and books, realized he needed his bag, and set them back down again. He put his empty bag on his shoulder, grabbed the pile again, and made his way down to his front door.   
   "Bye, Mom, bye, Dad. See you when I get home." he called over his shoulder, then was forced with a dilemma. How would he open the front door? His hands were utterly full. He put his knee up under the papers, grabbed the handle, turned it, and tripped his way out the door. He looked down at the untied shoe. 'Great,' he thought, 'Just great..at least he's picking Pepper up last..' he made his way to the backseat on the driver's side, his usual seat when Clint called shotgun. He realized another dilemma..he couldn't open this door either. He kinda stood there for a minute, debating his options, when the door popped open on its own. He had forgotten about Jarvis.   
   He said his thanks to Tony, and said good morning to Clint. Then he looked down at his enormous pile of papers and started putting them where they belonged. He vaguely heard Clint ask him how he was, and he answered him, returning the question. He figured if he just asked him that, Clint would go on and on, not needing much input in the conversation but the occasional "Hmm" or "Ohhh." or "Really?" to keep him going. Bruce set to work on organizing. Before he knew it, they had pulled into Pepper's neighborhood, and Bruce glanced up when they reached her house.   
    When he saw he walk out, he gasped despite himself. He vaguely saw Tony and Clint turn to look at him, but he was too mesmerized. She looked beautiful, even just in her pink shirt and brown skirt. He thought she'd look gorgeous in anything. He sat there and stared as she made her way to the car, getting in on Clint's side. When she got in, she gave Clint a hug from behind, and touched Bruce on the arm. She said hello to everyone in her cheery voice.   
    She turned her attention to Bruce then. She asked if he needed help organizing his stuff, and he could feel his face flush a deep, deep red. He stammered out a yes somehow and she moved to help him. Their knees were touching. Every so often, their hands would meet and Bruce got even redder still. He hoped she wasn't noticing. He felt so hopeless lately. Now, with her knee touching his and her..everything...sitting just a few inches away..Bruce felt like he was dying inside. In a good way, of course. Oh, how he had missed her..he was beginning to wonder how to tackle this issue. He was sure it wasn't like a science problem, with step-by-step instructions. He made a plan to ask Clint how he got Natasha later on, when Pepper wasn't around.   
      Tony blasted some of his AC/DC and rolled the windows down. He turned it up even more, and Pepper flew into Bruce a little as Tony sped away to school. I think it's safe to say that for the next 10 minutes, Bruce remained redder than a cherry tomato and tenser than ever before. 

Pepper: Pepper stood in her closet, looking around at all the carefully organized racks. She finally decided on a pale pink long-sleeve shirt with a brown skirt, pink knee-highs and brown boots. Pepper loved pink. She knew pink wasn't supposed to go with her ginger hair, but for her it did. She always felt the most confident and assured in pink, so for today that was her safe harbor. She walked to the bathroom, only to find that it was occupied. She knocked on the door to see which of her 4 brothers was in there.  
    "I'm BUSY!" shouted 14-year-old George from inside.   
    "George! HURRY UP! I need to get in there, Tony's picking me up, and you know how early he always is! I'm not even close to being done! You can have it back after I'm done!" Pepper shouted frantically. Mornings in the Potts residence were always accompanied by lots of shouting, pushing, shoving, etc. Being the only girl, Pepper could hold her own with her brothers though. Even her oldest brother, John. He was a senior this year, and would be graduating in the spring. He and Pepper had always been close through the years, being that they were only a year apart. John must've already gotten ready, because usually they had conflicting morning routines. However, she realized George would now too, since he's a freshman. 'Rats..' she thought to herself.   
     After about 5 minutes of Pepper's pounding on the door, George emerged, rolling his eyes. Pepper saw her brother's equally ginger hair, his pale and freckled face, and his blue eyes. All of the Potts children looked alike. The boys were nearly indecipherable, other than their different heights. When they were younger, people often mistook John and Pepper for twin boys. When the family would bring that up, Pepper would flush red and laugh along, wondering if she still looked as boyish now as she did then.  
      At times, Pepper thought she still did. She was best friends with 3 guys, it would be expected that she resembled a boy, too. She had never really dated much, she was too close with her friends to ever want anything more.  
        Recently, she had begun to think about that though. She was a junior, and had hardly dated. She wondered if she had missed out on much. She thought of how Clint had started dating Natasha and how happy they seemed. Tony had dated before, but never seemed really happy. Those lasted about a month, tops, before he cut it off. He would never say why though.   
     The only one in their immediate group who was in the same situation as Pepper was Bruce. Pepper had a little secret, though. Since freshman year, she had liked Bruce. And when I say liked, I mean a lot. She practically loved him. She was too shy to ever make a move though, and Bruce was..Bruce. She never thought he'd like her. She's been in the friendzone.   
     Here's how it happened. When Tony started hanging out with Bruce in chemistry, Clint and Pepper were feeling left out. Tony suggested they all hang out together, at least once to see if they could all get along. That night, they all were at Tony's house in his home theater. Clint and Pepper arrived to see that Tony was sitting there laughing with Bruce. Bruce had a small smile on his face as he gave a little chuckle. They looked up to see the new arrivals step in nervously. Tony greeted them warmly and Bruce gave another little smile and waved. They both smiled and waved back, and walked in to sit by them. Pepper ended up sitting in between Clint and Bruce the whole night. As they talked and got to know each other, Pepper felt a little thing stirring in her gut. Everytime Bruce looked at her, she felt her cheeks redden and hoped it wasn't noticeable. She was hopeless from that moment on.   
     Over the years, however, she had learned how to hide it better. She knew there was no way Bruce would like her. She didn't keep her hopes up, and yet, it never went away. It was still going and growing, stronger and stronger and stronger yet. A small part of her still kept up the hope that maybe, someday,  he'd find her as interesting as one of his science experiments.   
    Pepper walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Okay, it wasn't as bad as she'd thought. She had to brush her hair out a little bit, but it wasn't horrible. She put in the pink headband that she had carried with her, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and debated for a moment. Makeup or no makeup? She was perfectly content to go all natural as usual, but she thought she should make a little bit of an effort, being that it was the first day of school. She put some mascara and eye liner on to enhance her eyes. Even though her lashes were long, they were pale strawberry blond, so they were unnoticeable most of the time. She looked when she was done, and decided that was enough. She never liked to go over the top with makeup. It was unneeded.   
      She headed back into her room to check that she had everything for school in order. She did-shocker-and sat on her windowseat to watch for Tony. After about 5 minutes, she saw him appear on her road, and she headed downstairs.   
      She said goodbye to her family, and walked out the front door. She walked around to her usual seat (backseat passenger side, behind Clint, next to Bruce) and opened the door. She gave Clint a hug from behind, said good morning and hello to everyone, and caught sight of Bruce.   
     He looked adorable in his purple button-down. His wavy hair was all over the place, but she found it endearing. His glasses were disheveled as usual, and he was hunched over in his seat, organizing his massive pile of papers.   
     Pepper almost had an aneurysm when she saw all of that disorderly chaos. She couldn't just sit there and ignore it, it was too much for her to handle. She asked Bruce if he needed help, and when he looked up, she noticed something weird. His face was flushed red, he was stammering more than usual, and he seemed rather flustered. He wasn't his usual cool and collected Bruce. She wondered if something was wrong with her, like of she looked awkward today or something, and that was why he was feeling weird. He didn't wanna be mean. That must have been it. What other reason would he have for being so flustered around her?   
     She set to work on helping him organize his pile of work. She shifted in her seat to better her reach and realized that their knees were touching. She looked up to his face and saw that he was still red-faced as ever and looked as if he was attempting a smile. Pepper felt her cheeks get red and smiled back, wondering what was going on. He had smiled at her. That had to mean..no no no. She wouldn't let herself get her hopes up. She couldn't. A few times they brushed hands and she got even redder still. She noticed Bruce flushing red the whole time, too. Again, that little piece of hope twinged in her gut, but she pushed it away.   
     Tony turned on some of that god-awful AC/DC when he pulled out. At that point, he rolled the windows down, blasted the music to ungodly levels, and sped away to school. When he hit the gas that hard, his car jumped from zero to at least 80 in about 2 seconds flat. She felt herself fly across the backseat into Bruce, who caught her. They both laughed nervously as he released her from his arms and then set back to work. She couldn't help thinking about how warm he was, and how much she enjoyed those few seconds as he held her there before realizing and letting go. 

Natasha: Natasha walked out to her car, unlocked the doors, and got in. She set her bag down on the passenger seat and started the car. As she backed up, she turned on her radio.   
"STARSHIPS WERE MEANT TO FLYYYY/HANDS UP AND TOUCH THE SKYYYYY" Natasha sighed. If Clint were here, he'd blast this, AND sing along. She smiled. She loved being in the car with him, he was always such a goof. She decided to just leave this station on for the short ride to school.   
      Natasha heard her phone go off, but ignored it. She didn't believe in texting and driving. Nat was a very straight-and-narrow person, she didn't stray from her own borders. And borders she had. She was a very stubborn person, and couldn't be convinced to do something she didn't want to do. She had never had a detention, suspension, demerit, or anything lower than a B on her report card. She was a stellar student, and her parents trusted her immensely for it.   
       Natasha was lost in her thoughts as she drove the familiar roads to school. She wasn't nervous, she didn't get nervous. She felt a flutter of anticipation in her gut, but for what, she wasn't sure. She put it off as wanting to see Clint and their friends again and pushed it towards the back of her mind.   
     She saw the gates of the school appearing up ahead and felt that twinge again. 'Stop it,' she thought to herself, and blasted some other Nicki Minaj song higher than she'd ever admit. She felt herself get into the song, tapping the rhythm on her steering wheel. She tried then to remember if she had put her drumsticks in her purse before she left. Of course she had. Natasha didn't forget anything. 

Loki: Loki walked outside with a skip in his step. He had been waiting patiently for a chance to drive, since he needed his experience hours to get his license. For some reason, everyone always put it off though. He walked around to the driver's side  and opened the door. The floor of the truck was level with his knee. He grabbed the handle at the top of the door (it was quite a reach for him), and hoisted himself up. He had to sit all the way forward in his seat in order to reach the pedals, and his seat belt was straining on his chest. He heard his driving instructor's voice in his head as he followed the steps: 1.) Put your seat belt on (check). 2.) Put the key in the ignition and turn it on. (check). 3.) Check your mirrors. (check).  He put it in reverse and backed out of the driveway, careful to look where he's going, until...SLAM! SCREEEEEEEECH! Loki thought he saw something out of the corner of the mirror and slammed on the brakes...but he didn't.   
"F...false alarm..heh.." he said sheepishly to Thor.   
He looked over to see his brother gritting his teeth. When Thor felt his gaze, he turned to Loki and smiled.   
"Its..alright, brother. It's your first time."   
Loki smiled, put it in drive, and drove away.  
Then he realized something KINDA major.   
"Um. Thor. I don't really know how to..word this. But..erm..I don't know how to drive stick."   
Thor's head whipped toward his brother.   
"You..don't know how to drive stick. But..you're driving my truck. My baby. Oh..okay..well...I'll teach you as we g-SHIFT NOW!! NOW BEFORE WE CRASH!!" Thor realized midsentence.   
"SHIFT WHERE?! WHAT AM I SHIFTING TO?!?!" Loki screamed helplessly as Thor just shouted unintelligible noises at him.   
"SHIFT TO THE RIGHT!!! THE RIGHT, LOKI, THAT'S THE LEFT!!" Thor frantically shouted.   
"IM TRYING, BROTHER, IM TRYING!!! I just..I don't...I can't drive stick! I'll pull over, I give up..." said Loki defeatedly as he shifted the right way. He began to make a move to pull over to the side of the road when he felt a large, warm hand on his arm.   
"No, Loki..I'm sorry. I overreacted. Keep going, I'll try to be more helpful this time. I don't know why it didn't dawn on me that you've never done stick before.." Thor said with half a smile on his face.   
"Are..are you sure brother? I mean..okay..thanks. Guess I'll never know if I don't try, huh?" he said, upbeatedly.   
Thor chuckled along as Loki pulled off the curb and drive again. Loki felt himself getting the hang of it, and by the end of the long drive to Marvel High, he found he was shifting without his brother's instructions. Thor said his praises as they got out of the car unscathed. They both had breathed a sigh of relief when Loki had finally pulled in and turned the behemoth of a truck off. Thor walked around to Loki's side, got his keys, and they both shared a long look before breaking out into hysterical laughter. Loki was leaning on Thor as he felt the tears running down his cheeks from laughing so hard. His stomach hurt, he was doubled over, and it was that amazingly awful silent laughter that only comes when something is truly funny. After he got the giggly streak out, he straightened up, leaned on his brother's arm as he wiped his eyes and recovered himself. They then walked off to the front doors as Thor held his protective grip on Loki's shoulder. 

Thor: Thor watched his little brother walk out the door and to Mjolnir. He had a smile on his face, almost as big as Loki's. He saw how he practically skipped there. He was glad that he was making his brother happy, but still a little leery. He didn't trust anyone else to drive his truck. Only him.   
      He watched as Loki hoisted himself into the tall truck, then followed the standard procedure (seat belts, mirrors, etc.) before turning on the truck. He began to back out, and Thor thought about what a good job he was doing. He wondered why he had such doubt..Loki was doing perfectly fi-SCREEEECH! SLAM! He felt himself strain against the seatbelt and then fly back into the back of his seat. Loki smiled sheepishly and apologized, then started down the road. Then, he dropped a bomb: he didn't know how to drive stick.   
      Thor gritted his teeth. He wanted to be mad, but...remembering how hopeful and happy Loki had been a minute ago stopped him in his tracks. He would do anything for his brother....even sacrifice Mjolnir. Nothing that couldn't be fixed.   
     Thor decided to help Loki learn how to drive stick. He told him so, then realized he needed to shift, and FAST. He broke off mid-sentence and said so, and Loki shouted confusedly before pulling to the curb. He informed Thor that he'd let him drive, because stick is just too confusing for him. The defeated expression he had made Thor's heart near about break. He never wanted to see Loki upset; he felt it was his responsibility to look out for him no matter WHAT the circumstances. He sighed and said he'd try to be a better teacher this time, and they set off for school. Thor told Loki when to shift calmly and in advance. The rest of the drive was rather uneventful.   
     Thor sneaked peeks of his younger brother as he instructed him. He saw his pale skin, his bright green eyes, his flippy jet-black hair. He saw his big hands (big for him, at least) with their long, elegant fingers. He saw the white-knuckled grip that Loki was holding the wheel with. He saw the focus in his eyes. He was ambushed with an overwhelming love for his brother, and he felt himself smiling again like a goof.   
     Eventually, Loki was shifting on his own, and Thor trailed off his instructions. He felt such pride at seeing his brother learning from him. Soon enough, they had pulled into the student lot of Marvel High, and Loki shut the truck off.   
     Thor got out and walked around Loki's side to get his keys. He met him outside the driver's door, and they shared a long gaze before breaking out into hysterical laughter. Thor felt Loki leaning on him, felt his brother's small figure shaking with the laughter that seemed to be racking his entire body. After a few minutes passed, Thor had calmed down (mostly) and he stood straight while Loki continued to crack up. Soon after, he saw Loki straighten up, wipe his eyes, and control himself.   
He grabbed his brother's shoulders, and held him protectively as they walked towards the front doors. 

Steve: Steve kissed Stacey on the cheek on his way out the door.   
   "Good luck!" she shouted out after him. "I love you!"   
  "Thanks Mom, I'm gonna need it...I love you too...see you later," Steve tried to put on a brave smile for Stacey but failed miserably.   
   "Oh come here my baby boy...come here.." Stacey said as she opened her arms to hug her son who was MUCH taller than her. Steve walked back over to her and crumpled into one of the hugs he used to get when he was little and scraped his knee or something. Stacey held him like she used to, no matter the height difference. Steve felt himself leaning on his mother's petite frame with more force than he thought she could handle, but she surprisingly held up. He felt tears begin forming behind his eyes but he blinked them off. He wouldn't cry. No. The new Steve Rogers would NOT cry over bullies like he used to. He bit his lip so hard that he drew blood. Finally, though, the tears were gone and he had something else to focus on. He let go of Stacey and tried again to put on a smile. He mustered up a half-assed smile and felt that it was good enough. Good enough for Stacey to let him go. He didn't want her to worry about him. Those days were done. Steve was 16 now, he didn't want to burden his parents for his problems. He gave her small arm a squeeze before he walked to his car and got in.   
    Once in, he turned the radio to his favorite station, and pulled out. He calmed as the music of the 40's filled his ears and his mind. Steve felt he didn't belong in today's world. He would've been better suited in the 40's. He loved that era for some reason. He felt extremely attached to it, but didn't know why. He put it off as the longing to be a part of something that he could obviously never be a part of.   
      As Steve drove to Marvel High, he felt the butterflies fluttering in his gut start to go into hyperspeed. He felt the nausea hit him, he started hyperventilating, and he had to pull over. He got out and walked to the curb. He sat there with his head between his knees and tried to regulate his breathing. He lost track of time. He was broken from his inner monologue of self-inspiration by the sound of an approaching car. He looked up to see a cherry-red vintage mustang pulling up beside him. He saw the window roll down, and he felt a pang of insecurity. What did he look like? Could they tell he'd been crying? He bet his hair was messed up from the way he'd been sitting..then he realized..who ARE they?    
    He looked in the windows to see 4 kids about his age. 3 boys and 1 girl. The back window rolled down and the girl spoke first.   
   "Hi, I'm Pepper Potts. You look a little distraught. Are you having car trouble? Do you need a ride?" the girl..Pepper? he thought she said...seemed peppy and nice enough.  He thought about her question. It took him a minute to process, since he was still in his mental fog from a few minutes earlier.   
   "Uh..hi..I'm..I'm Steve. Steve Rogers. Um..you could call it distraught. Heh..um..no, my car is fine, I just..I got a bit..umm..do you guys go to Marvel High?" Steve stammered out as he tried to make it sound as if he hadn't been crying. He thought he'd been doing a half decent job until he saw the two in the back exchange looks. The boy in the passenger seat turned around to exchange the same looks with Pepper, while the boy in the driver's side stared out his window, seemingly oblivious to this scene that was playing out. Steve looked at him and felt a pang of something. He wondered who this kid was, this kid who was seemingly not noticing the situation that was taking place outside his car. He tried to get a better peek at him, craning his neck to see his face. As soon as he thought he could make out the frames of sunglasses amidst his wild brown hair, Pepper spoke up once again.   
   "Steve, are you new? We go to Marvel too. We're juniors." she said with a worried tone in her voice that contradicted the welcoming smile on her face.   
   "Ye..yeah I'm new. I'm a junior too. Today's my first day. Which you probably gathered when I said I was new. Duh. Sorry. That was a bit of overkill really. " Steve felt himself ramble out, as he was still distracted by the driver of the car. Who was he?   
    "Don't worry about it, Steve. I'm Pepper, which I already told you. This is Bruce," she gestured to the boy next to her, "this is Clint," she tapped the head of the boy in front of her, and he waved and smiled, "and that," she pointed to the driver," is Tony. Tony. Tony, say hi. Geez, be civil."   
   Steve saw this Tony kid turn around a little in his seat. When he looked at Steve, Steve smiled politely, like he'd been taught. He saw Tony's mouth drop a little bit and his cheeks redden, but couldn't see his eyes. "H..hi." Tony choked out. He then whipped back around in his seat as if paying attention to Steve physically hurt him. Steve wondered what his deal was. Did he not like him already? Steve let his subconscious taunt him with thoughts from his past as he stared at the back of Tony's head and zoned out.   
  "Steve? Steve...? Steve, are you sure you're alright?" he heard Pepper asking worriedly, the tone of her voice now matching the expression on her face.   
   "I'm..yeah, I'm uhh..I'm okay.." on the word 'okay', his voice cracked and he bit his already bleeding lip so as not to cry in front of these 4 strangers.   
   "Steve, why don't you hop in and ride with us today? Come on, Tony will give you a ride. You can leave your car here for the day, it's a parking lot anyway." Pepper reached out and put a hand on Steve's arm reassuringly.   
  "I...okay, th..thank you. Thank you guys. Let me just go grab my stuff and I'll be back." Steve walked to his car and opened the driver's side door. He realized his stuff was on the passenger side, and sighed. He walked around, opened THAT door, and evaluated what he could grab and what he could leave. He grabbed his bookbag and saxophone and shut the door. He made sure his phone was in his pocket (it was) before making his way back to the car. As he neared them, the trunk popped open. Steve walked over to it, to put his sax in there (it was quite large) and was greeted by 2 more instrument cases. One was smallish, he figured a clarinet or something, and the other was shaped like his. He wondered if it was a saxophone or a trumpet. He also saw a holster of multiple drumsticks, each different and expensive looking, and what looked like a mouthpiece for a tuba. Hmm. He wondered who played what. He shut the trunk, and walked back to Pepper's door.   
    He opened it, and she scooted right up next to Bruce to make room for Steve. As he sat down, he saw Bruce's eyes widen at the closeness between himself and Pepper, before blushing deep red. He smiled a little bit before reaching to put on his seatbelt and settling in. He looked at both Bruce and Pepper and thought that they'd make a cute couple, if they weren't already. He doubted they were though, because of Bruce's reaction to her being that close to him. Hmm. He guessed he'd just find out later.   
  "So Steve, where are you from?" Pepper asked as Tony pulled away from the curb.   
   "Uhh, I'm from originally from Brooklyn, but I've been homeschooled for a while." Steve said while looking down at his hands.   
  "Oh, how was that?"  
   "Umm..boring I guess, I mean..I haven't really talked to many people since then. Well, except for my friend Bucky..he's from my old school in Brooklyn, we stayed close after I..took a break.." Dammit Steve. Don't give yourself away. You're HIDING the past, not revealing it to everyone you meet!   
   "Oh, well that's good that you guys stayed close. Do you know anyone from Marvel High? Well, other than us, that is." Pepper laughed good-naturedly. He began to wonder if she was like the spokesperson for this group or something.   
    "Well, other than you guys, I know Thor Odinson. And his brother..Loki, is it? I'm on the football team with Thor. He seems pretty nice. So does his brother, though he seems very quiet." Steve said.   
    "Oh, we know Loki and Thor! Well, Tony and Thor are closer than the rest of us are with him," At this, Tony   Mmm'd in what Steve thought was agreement, "But we're all pretty close with Loki. He's a nice kid. So is Thor. It's good that you know him. He'll have your back." Pepper said with a smile.   
   "Yeah, he seems real nice. The rest of the team, I don't know about though..they seem like a crew of real assholes. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have said that..I just..well.."  
    "They are." came a voice from the front. Tony. They all whipped their heads to the front seat to look at him. He just shrugged at the new attention and went back to driving, seemingly done with talking for the rest of the ride. Steve had thought his voice would be different. Higher, maybe. He wasn't sure.   
   "Well, thanks Tony for agreeing. Sorry if I offended anyone, I just..I don't really want you guys to think I'm like them, especially since you're all being so nice to me right now.." Steve rambled on before cutting himself off and sighing.   
   "Don't worry, Steve. It's our pleasure. Honestly. If you need anything..we'll be more than happy to help!" Pepper smiled and once again placed her small hand on his arm. He saw something in Bruce's eyes flash. He knew she was just trying to be nice, but it looked like Bruce wasn't sure. He laughed nervously and sorta shrugged out of her grip so he didn't hurt his feelings. He looked over her head at Bruce and smiled nervously, to be repaid with an almost-smile from Bruce. Okay. Close enough.   
    "Here's my number, Steve. In case you need anything during the day or anytime really. I'll be glad to help." Pepper handed him a small slip of paper with a phone number scrawled neatly on it. He took it and put it in his sketch book where he knew he'd remember it, and thanked her. Pepper noticed the sketch book, and fired her next question.   
    "Do you draw?"   
    "Uh, yeah..a bit. I mean..I guess so, I do a lot. I really like drawing. I'm not that great though.." Steve said humbly.   
    "Are you taking art?" Pepper asked.   
    "I..yeah, I think. Lemme check..," he trailed off. He took his schedule out of his pocket where it had been burning a hole all morning.    
    "Oh, how about you just read all of your classes? Maybe some of us have classes with you!" Pepper said excitedly.   
    "Oh okay. Umm first I have AP history with Professor Xavier..that's my homeroom, right?...then second I have Spanish 3&1/2 with someone named Mr. Azazel..third I have art with a Miss MacTaggert, fourth and fifth I have AP English with Ms. Gray, sixth is my lunch, seventh I have AP chemistry with someone named Mr. Lehnsherr, eighth I have a study hall with..it doesn't have a teacher down there, just a room number...ninth I have band, and tenth I have AP trig/pre-calc with a Mr. Richards." Steve said, trying to pronounce the names as best as he can.   
     "Okay, we all have homeroom together. Well, except for Clint. Sorry Clint. But you and Clint will have second period together so it balances out. We all have art together. Well, except for Bruce. Sorry Bruce. As you can obviously already tell, Bruce here is Mr. Artsy-Fartsy himself," Pepper chuckled and elbowed him playfully as he blushed even more and smiled, "And we all have English together. Even Clint. Yay. Oh, and we all have sixth period lunch too! Okay! Um seventh, it's all of us but Clint. Again. Eighth..hmm. I don't have a study hall eighth. Bruce, do you?" she turned to Bruce. He shook his head no. "Clint?" he shook his head no. "...Tony?" he hesitated before nodding. "Oh, well, Steve..Tony has one eighth too. So..yeah. Ninth, we all have band. I play clarinet, Bruce plays tuba, Clint plays trumpet, and Tony plays drums. Steve, what do you play?"   
   "Uhh..I play saxophone." Steve said absentmindedly, still mulling over the fact that the only person he knew in study hall would be Tony. He wondered if he'd talk to him then. He doubted it, but made up his mind that he'd try and start a conversation with him in there today.   
    "Oh, that's cool! Well, yeah, we'll all be in band together. And tenth you have with..me, Bruce, and Tony. So yup. There's your schedule. I think I'm in most of your classes. Same with Bruce. Clint, you're in some. And Tony..," Steve watched as she calculated it in her head, "Tony, you and Steve have the exact same schedules!" she said with a realization.   
    Steve saw Tony cringe a little when she said that, as if he didn't want Steve to know. 'What's his deal?' Steve thought. He never did anything to him. The rest of them were all being nice to him, so what was going on with Tony?   
     Steve said something along the lines of "Oh, okay, that's cool" before slipping back into his mind. He couldn't stop spiraling around the fact that Tony was holding back for whatever reason, and he didn't know why. He was self-conscious enough that he believed it was something to do with him, and wondered what it was so he could fix it, and fast.   
      Steve was interrupted from his musings by Clint shouting from the front seat.   
    "OH yeah! THIS IS my JAM! WOOOO!" he started clapping and bouncing and dancing in his seat as he turned up the radio. Super Bass was on. 'Funny,' Steve thought. 'I never would've pegged him as a Nicki Minaj fan..'   
      They all laughed as Clint danced and rapped and sang along with Nicki. He knew it word for word. As the song neared to an end, Steve saw the school sign up ahead, and felt the smile drain from his face as the panic started to come back. He felt everything growing fainter as he slipped into his mind. It was as though he was under water, all reactions were slowed and voices were muffled. All he could hear we're the voices of the past.   
     "Hey, Scrawny Steve!"   
     "Hey Rogers, why don't you go cry to your parents?! Oh right..you don't have any! Scrawny Steve doesn't have real parents!"   
      "Steve, you're such a GEEK! Scrawny Steve is a NERD!"   
     "Steve, you really think you could ever be with her?! A scrawny rat like YOU, get Peggy Carter?! Who are you kidding?!"   
     Steve fought down these demons as he felt someone shaking him. He resurfaced to find 3 pairs of very worried eyes on him, and Pepper shaking his arm.   
     "Steve! STEVE! Are you alright?! Steve!"   
      "I..yeah. I just..got lost in my thoughts. Sorry.."   
     "It's..it's alright, Steve. Don't worry. Seriously though..if you need to talk..just text me or call me or something. I'll listen.." Pepper trailed off, still clearly worried.   
    "Okay..thanks Pepper. I'm alright. I think. Thanks.." Steve trailed off as he felt the car come to a stop. He fought down those demons once again as he unbuckled his seat belt and got ready to make his first impression. 

Tony: As Tony sped down the familiar roads, he listened to his friends around him. He heard Clint talking Bruce's ear off, and Bruce merely replying with "Mmm"s and "I see"s.  He heard the shuffling of papers from the back seat as Bruce and Pepper organized all of Bruce's summer work. He was lost in thought when he heard Pepper pipe up from the backseat.   
      "Tony, pull over. I think it looks like someone's there! He...he looks like a highschooler. Maybe he needs help." Pepper sat forward and urged Tony to pull over.   
     Tony looked out the window to see who the stranger was. What he saw...he wasn't prepared for.   
     He was blown away. This stranger was tall and broad, with quite the shoulder to waist ratio. He had golden blond hair and peachy skin. He felt his breath catch and was glad his sunglasses were hiding his eyes. That way, no one could tell he was staring..and no one could find out his little secret.   
        Tony had dated many girls in his high school years. But, none of them had passed the 3 month mark. Tony told everyone it was for various reasons (didn't work, she was a golddigger, she liked someone else, they fought) but really, all of them ended for one reason.   
     Tony didn't actually like girls.   
     Tony had always had had a suspicion that he was gay, but he had never told anyone. That's not how Tony was. He kept his problems and burdens to himself, and kept a cool and collected façade, so as not to give himself away. He wasn't even ready to tell Bruce, Pepper, and Clint. He wasn't sure why that was.   
      Tony always THOUGHT he was gay. He was pretty sure. Like, he was 99.9999999% sure that he was. But when he saw this stranger, the first thing he though was "I really am gay.."   
       Tony stared straight forward and tried to regulate his breathing as the stranger walked up to his car. He kept an apathetic expression on his burning face as he stared straight ahead. He heard Pepper roll down her window and start up a conversation with this kid. He listened as she asked his name. It was...Steve, he thought he said. Steve Rogers. Tony liked the sound of that. He liked the sound of that a lot. He shook this thought from his head when he heard his name being called.   
     "Tony. Tony. Tony, say hi. Geez, be civil!" he vaguely heard Pepper scold him. It was a bit muffled, because at that moment, he had turned to see one beautifully distraught stranger staring back at him.   
      Tony felt his mouth drop and his cheeks redden, and managed to stutter out a greeting. He then whipped back around in his seat so he wouldn't give himself away. He had already shown too much emotion.   
     He listened as Pepper conversed over trivial things, and heard Steve walk away. He turned to Pepper.   
      "What's going on?"    
       "Steve is riding with us."   
       "I...what?! Pepper! Why is he...Pepper! I..agh. I just..I don't..Pepper." Tony stuttered out.   
       "Look, Tony. I dunno what your problem is with Steve, but let it go. Didn't...didn't you see his eyes?" she said hesitantly.   
       "I..his eyes? No? Why, what about them?" Tony stopped his stuttering at that.   
       "Tony, he's been crying. Be civil. He never did anything to you. It's his first day, he's probably scared. Come on. Just..be nice."  
         Tony sighed. "Fine, Pep. Fine. I just..he looks like one of THOSE jocks. You know which ones. I don't wanna set myself up for anything. I just..don't." What Tony didn't say was that he was pretty sure Steve was his kryptonite, and would surely blow his cover. He couldn't risk that. Steve would be the death of him, he already knew that from the moment he first laid eyes on him.   
     He saw Steve approaching and popped the trunk for him. He felt his gut turn with butterflies as he thought of Steve's face, Steve's voice, Steve's everything. 'No, Tony...stop it! He's..no. You're so stupid, you'll blow your cover! Geez...' Tony thought to himself exasperatedly.   
          Steve got in the car, and Tony kept his face forward as he was speeding again. He heard Shoot to Thrill come on the radio, and turned it up. He loved this song. It was probably his favorite AC/DC song in the whole wor-  
        "...The rest of the team, I don't know about though..they seem like a crew of real assholes. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have said that..I just..well.." Tony was jarred from his thoughts as he heard this from the backseat. So Steve WAS on the football team. But..he thought they were assholes? What is this? Before Tony realized it, he piped up.   
        "They are." 'Tony! Shut up! Stop it! God! You're so stupid, don't talk anymore!' he thought to himself as he said it.   
        Everyone sorta turned to him when he said that; he felt their eyes on him. He pretended like he never said anything and paid attention to driving once again. He mmm'd in a 'you're welcome' to Steve when he thanked him for agreeing. He decided to shut up unless directly questioned for the rest of the ride to school. It was probably the safest option.   
       Tony listened as Pepper talked to Steve about trivial things. He learned that he liked to draw and played sax. Then, he started saying his schedule out loud to Pepper, and Tony started listening more intently. They had period 1 together. And 2. And 3. And 4/5. And 6. And 7. And 8. And 9. And..10. They had identical schedules.   
        No. No. No, this couldn't be happening. No, there had to be some mistake. No. No. NONONO. No...but there wasn't a mistake. ...of course not....  
         In the first 7 classes, at least there was one of the others in the class with them. Pepper said she didn't have a study hall 8th, then asked if Bruce did. Nope. Then she asked Clint. Nope. 'Oh, God. Oh my God. Of course. Of fucking course. That WOULD happen. Don't ask me, Pep..just don't. Please, Pep. PLEASE.' Tony was broken out of his completely inner (and completely hidden) panic attack by Pepper's voice.   
        "....Tony?" she asked.   
      Tony felt himself hesitate before finally nodding his head yes.   
      He felt his cheeks burning. He was so glad his sunglasses were hiding his dark eyes. He didn't want them to give anything away.   
      He got lost in his thoughts again as he drove. What was he feeling for Steve? He didn't know. He couldn't tell if he wanted to know him more or if he wanted Steve to be out of his life as fast as possible. He had never met someone that made him feel this way. So...conflicted. He honestly didn't know what was going on. He knew Steve was seriously dangerous to him, but he couldn't tell if it was because Tony was meant to love him, or because he could seriously give Tony's secret up. Tony mulled these thoughts over until he heard Clint exclaim from next to him:   
             "OH yeah! THIS IS my JAM! WOOOO!" Tony looked over to see Clint reach forward and turn up the radio as some god-awful Nicki Minaj song came on. He started laughing as Clint started rapping along, all whilst dancing and clapping and goofing around, seriously lightening the mood. He heard Steve's nervous laugh from the backseat, and felt a flutter of something in his gut again. He felt his smile fade a bit and plastered it back on, to keep up the façade. They rode the rest of the way being entertained by Clint.  
       Soon, the gates to Marvel High were visible in front of them, and he heard Steve catch his breath from the back seat. He heard Pepper questioning him repeatedly, to no reprieve. He looked in the rear view mirror to see Steve staring into space, his bright blue eyes clouded with something that was pure pain and torture. Tony felt a pang in his heart as he saw that devastating image. He looked like a golden retriever being denied his favorite kibble. Tony almost asked if he was alright, but caught himself. He decided to leave it to Mother Pepper in the backseat.   
      Finally Steve came to, and Tony wondered what was going through his head. He decided to focus on other stuff, even though he knew that it was this thought that would plague his subconscious for the rest of the day.   
       Tony pulled into a parking spot, and stepped out of the car. He waited for everyone to get out and get their stuff, then locked the doors behind him.   
        "Welcome to Hell, everyone. Otherwise known as Marvel High." he said sardonically, and made his way to the front steps. 


	3. First Days and Unwilling Tour Guides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony doesn't understand how he feels about Steve; Steve doesn't understand why Tony hates him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long chapter.

Steve: Steve got out of the car and focused on his feet hitting the ground. He walked around to the trunk with the others and grabbed his sax. He watched as Tony locked the doors, and came to stand between Clint and Pepper.   
       "Welcome to Hell, everyone. Otherwise known as Marvel High." Tony said with a bitter smirk and headed towards the front steps.   
      Steve stared at his new school in wonder. He thought it was absolutely beautiful. He felt his right hand twitch as he longed for his pencil. Gone were the days where he could hole up in his room for most of the day and draw. Now it would be quite the rare occasion that he would get to do that. He felt a pang of sadness, but that was gone once he looked back up at Marvel High.   
       The building was all old, weathered brick. There was ivy growing up its cracked walls. He saw the two side buildings and wondered what they were. He saw the long, central window that showcased the many stairways this tall, narrow building had. Windows were to each side, classrooms. He looked at the huge flight of steps in front of them as he began to ascend it. He saw the crisp green fields to either side of the steps, and giant evergreen bushes almost covering the windows on the bottom floor. He saw a little of what looked like a quad or courtyard to the back of the school. Steve was utterly speechless.   
       As they neared the doors, he felt his stomach start to flutter, but he clenched his jaw and ignored it. He followed behind Pepper and looked over at Bruce. He saw pure longing and adoration as he saw Bruce's eyes trained on Pepper. Steve smiled a little to himself and kept walking.   
        Tony was the first one to actually get to the door. Steve thought he saw Tony take a deep breath before grabbing the plain black handle and giving it a pull. The quiet New York morning was then pierced and interrupted by the sound of high schoolers talking, laughing, and shouting as the door opened fully. Tony stepped in, then Clint, then Bruce stepped forward to hold the door for Pepper. She smiled at him and said a quiet "Thank you" and Steve thought he saw her face redden. Bruce held the door open for Steve too, and Steve thanked him. Bruce seemed really nice. Just a little shy. Steve snapped out of his thoughts and widened his eyes. He couldn't believe the sight in front of him.   
         There were people everywhere. In their lockers, getting books, schedules, papers. Steve saw a few that he recognized from the football team and merely waved when they acknowledged him. He just wanted to make his way to homeroom. There were way too many people here. He wasn't used to it.   
       He followed the others to room 101, with Professor Xavier. He walked in to find a room nearly full, with just a few seats left open. Steve saw that they were arranged alphabetically, with their schedules on their desks. He scanned the rows till he found Rogers, Steve and sat down. He saw Tony pass him, then take the seat behind him. He wondered what his last name was. He saw Pepper sit down a row over, then Clint and Bruce on the other side of the room. Clint was in front of Bruce, and was currently turned around in his seat chatting Bruce's ear off. Steve looked around the bland room with wide eyes. All that was on the walls was battle maps and diagrams. No decorations or anything. Steve was trying to read the title of a map to his right when he heard someone calling his name.   
         "Mr. Rogers, are you in here? Mr. Rogers?"   
        He looked up.  "Uh, I, uh..yes, Mr....no uh Professor Xavier?"   
          "Come here son. A word?"   
          "I..uh..okay."   
         Steve felt everyone's eyes on him as he walked up to the teacher. He towered over the teacher's body, as it was in a wheelchair. He stood there nervously, wondering what he could possibly want with him already. 5 minutes haven't even passed, and he was called up to the teacher. Great.   
        "Yes, professor?"   
        "Hello, Mr. Rogers. How are you?"  
        "I'm good, sir. Thanks. How are you?"  
         "Oh, I'm good son. Thank you. Mr. Rogers, do you know your way around this school?"   
          "I..well..no, not really." Steve answered truthfully.   
          "Ah, very well then. Let's see...Mr. Stark? Mr. Stark, lose the sunglasses and come up here."   
          Steve groaned inside. He better not be making Tony his personal tour guide. But..maybe that could be good. He could figure out what was going on with him. Why he so blatantly ignored him. Yes, yes...this could work for the better. Yes. Steve decided he'd keep the positive frame of mind for today. It could only help.   
       Tony reached the desk as Steve made his decision.   
          "Mr. Stark. Do you think you could be a tour guide for Mr. Rogers here? He will need shown to his classes toda-Mr. Barton, turn that music off and sit down!"  
           Tony and Steve both turned to see Clint shaking his butt to Nicki Minaj music blasting from his phone. He turned around sheepishly and turned it off, sitting down.   
            "Anyway, Mr. Stark. I would appreciate if you would be Mr. Rogers' tour buddy today."   
             "But, I mean...Professor X..come on, man. I..I..." Tony turned to Steve and looked hopeless. Hopelessly trying to avoid Steve. Steve felt that feeling in his gut come back. The feeling that he wasn't good enough. He tried not to show it as they both stood awkwardly at the desk.   
         "Mr. Stark..I'm not asking you to do it. I'm TELLING you to do it. So why don't you two go sit down and make friends before its time to go to your lockers, yes?"   
          Tony sighed and rolled his eyes. This elicited a raise of the Professor's eyebrow. Tony finally said "Fine..." and stalked off, back to his seat. Steve saw him slip the shades back down over his eyes on the way.   
           "Mr. Rogers, don't take that personally. Mr. Stark is...unique. He puts on a snarky, tough façade, but deep down he's a good kid. You just have to crack that shell. Now go on and try to talk to him. With enough persistence, it should be dandy."   
         "Thanks, professor. I'll try." Steve said with a half smile, and walked sullenly back to his seat. Once there, he gathered all of his courage, and turned around.   
        "H...hi." he said shakily.   
        Tony turned towards him, and raised an eyebrow. He couldn't see his eyes, but knew he was testing him.   
          However, there was something about his mouth and the way it was twitching. And the way his face was reddening. Steve took that as an okay and smiled.   
          "So...we have the same schedule! That's cool, right? We at least know someone in every class!" Steve said, mostly trying to reassure himself. Although..he didn't know what comfort there would be in this silent stranger.   
      Still silence from Tony. Until finally..   
        "Wh..what's your locker number?" Tony asked Steve, finally breaking the silence down. Steve heard Tony's voice crack, and wondered what was up with that. Then, the unbelievable happened. Tony took off his shades. And what Steve saw knocked him breathless.   
       Tony had deep, chocolate brown eyes, fringed with long, jet-black lashes. Steve couldn't believe how pretty they were. Then he thought about that. He just thought a guy's eyes were pretty?   
       Steve mulled this over. He had never really seen people as attractive, other than Peggy. But after her..it all changed. Steve never saw girls in that way again. He couldn't bring himself to think someone was hot or beautiful. He wasn't attracted to anyone. He didn't know what to make of it. He figured he'd just die alone with some dogs or something, because he didn't want anyone. He had never really even seen girls in that way. He hadn't seen anyone in that way.   
        Until now.   
        Steve had never thought of the possibility that he could be..gay. Ever. He didn't pay attention to boys, because..well..it never occurred to him. Steve thought about this. Was that what was wrong with him? He didn't know. At all. He decided to mull this one over later, because Tony was starting to look at him quizzically.   
            "I..sorry. I'm really just..I'm not really used to being with other people.   I keep thinking of my old school. Sorry.." Steve explained, and shrugged. He thought he saw something in Tony's eyes and expression soften a little bit. He almost smiled.   
        "I know what you mean. Don't worry about it...it's..it's okay. Flashbacks sure can suck. Anyway. What's your locker number?" Tony said calmly, with that same almost-smile.   
       Steve smiled back, and looked at his schedule.   
        "Thanks, Tony. I'm hoping they'll go away soon..they really do suck. It's...741. What's yours?"  
        He saw Tony blanch a little when he said the number. "....740..."  
         "Oh! Then our lockers are right next to each other! Cool! Right?" his smile faded as he watched Tony look away.  
         "We..we should probably go to our lockers." Tony said hesitantly, and then got up and to the door as fast as possible. Steve stood there with his faded smile and finally got up to go out the door. He spotted Tony down the hallway, and walked towards him. What was going on with him? For a minute there, he seemed alright. Like he was going to soften up and be Steve's friend. But then..the brick walls came back up and Steve was shut out, yet again. 

Tony: Tony walked towards the front steps. He steeled himself the whole way. Inside, he was shaking like a leaf. But on the outside, it was cool, calm, collected Tony Stark that he showed everyone. As he walked, he was hyperaware of Steve behind him. Even a few people back, it was like magnetism..he felt the pull of him being so close. 'Stop it, Tony...stop it.' he thought to himself as he struggled to push Steve out of his mind.   
        He kept walking. He made his way up the familiar steps to the mundane front doors. Once there, he stopped. He took a deep breath, then realized that was a sign of weakness. He cringed inside at the consequences, and hoped no one noticed. He put his hand on the handle, and pulled open the door.   
        It was utter chaos inside. Like usual. Tony stepped in, followed by Clint. Tony immediately started his inner panic attack..he didn't like the way everyone looked at him. He didn't like coming to school much, because he was endlessly bullied. The stupid jocks picked everything insignificant to tease him about. No, no. Tease is too much of a lighthearted word. It wasn't "teasing". It was scarring. But of course...the mighty Tony Stark didn't show it. Nope. He refused to give them the satisfaction. On the outside, he ignored them, or made some snarky remark...but inside, those words cut deep like knives. The cuts didn't heal. They kept reopening. And bleeding. To no end. And now that Tony KNEW for sure he was gay..he felt his heart drop when he realized that all the bullying he's already had..that was nothing compared to what's to come.   
        They made their way up to room 101 for homeroom. He saw a nearly full room, and went to find his alphabetized seat. He followed Steve and couldn't help looking downward. He had his glasses on, so no one would know. 'Oh dear Christ....' he thought. 'Even his ASS is perfect. It's borderline sparkling!'  
       He saw Steve sit down, and walked to the seat behind him and looked at the schedule. Sure enough..it was his. He groaned internally, and sat down.   
       He looked to see if his friends were anywhere around him. Pepper was a row over, and Clint and Bruce were on the whole other side of the room. He chuckled to himself as he saw Clint immediately turn around and finish his conversation from earlier. Tony looked around the boring room, kind of lost in thought. He was totally zoned out when he heard old Xavier calling Steve up to his desk. Steve looked up from studying a battle map to his right. He went up to his desk. Tony watched as he walked away. Then thanked every deity that he could think of that he was still wearing his sunglasses. They didn't cover up his reddening cheeks though, unfortunately.   
       He watched as Xavier and Steve exchanged some words, then froze when Xavier looked right at him.   
        "Mr. Stark? Mr. Stark, lose the sunglasses and come up here."   
        Tony groaned as he took off the glasses. He made his way up to the desk and stood next to Steve. Tony semi-listened as Xavier talked at him. He was all too distracted by the closeness between them and the height difference. Steve had to be at least 6'2". Tony was only 5'8", and the shortest of his friends. Even Pepper was taller than him! He felt extremely like a dwarf standing next to Steve. He put his shoulders back and straightened his spine in an attempt to look taller. It didn't work.   
         Something Xavier just said piqued his interest. Show Steve around? Be his tour guide? No, he couldn't possibly..that was..no, that would blow his cover for sure! He couldn't do that..but then he looked at Steve's big blue puppy-like eyes and almost caved. Almost. But not quite.   
       He protested. He did everything he could not to have to do it. He saw the way Steve's face fell and felt bad. He felt horribly rotten for doing this to him on his first day. But he couldn't..he couldn't let himself fall for Steve, because he knew he could never have him. Ever. He knew how dangerous he was. Tony would have to be masochistic to go for him. Superman didn't exactly go running for his kryptonite, did he? No sir he did not. So Tony Stark wouldn't go run for his.   
        Xavier insisted though. And Tony knew that he would lose in the long run. So he sighed, defeated, and slumped back to his seat. He put the sunglasses back on as soon as he could. Just for added rebellion. Just cause he could.   
      He saw Steve and Xavier still exchanging words. He saw Steve's dejected face try and form a smile, and it absolutely pulled on Tony's heartstrings. He felt completely horrible for doing this to Steve. But..Tony just couldn't let anyone find out his secret. He debated his actions as he watched Steve walk back to his seat, avoiding Tony's eyes. Tony turned his head to gaze at the maps on the walls, so he wouldn't stare at the back of Steve's perfect blond head. He was jolted out of his thoughts by a shaky voice.   
        "H..hi."   
        Tony turned to look at Steve, raising his eyebrow. He wanted to look unwelcoming to him. But he just couldn't. He felt his mouth twitch and his face redden, and swore to himself. 'Damnit, Tony...'   
         Steve apparently took that as a sign to continue, because he smiled and went on.  "So...we have the same schedule! That's cool, right? We at least know someone in every class!"  
        Tony was stunned silent by Steve's smile. It was like a thousand megawatts. Thank goodness he had his shades on or he'd probably have been blinded by the perfectness of Steve's smile. Was he shocked? No. Mr. America was sitting right in front of him in all his freaking American glory. He was surprised he wasn't holding a baseball and waving around some good old apple pie. Then he'd be the land of the free in all its glory. Before he could stop himself, Tony broke the silence.   
        "Wh...what's your locker number?" he cursed at himself as his voice cracked midway through the sentence. Then, before he could stop himself, he took off his sunglasses. Tony Stark took off his sunglasses. He felt mechanical while doing it. He couldn't bring himself to stop his brain from commanding him to do this, because he really wanted to Steve without the shades. He REAALLY wanted to. He looked up at Steve and saw his eyes widen. He was stunned by just how BLUE they were. It was almost as if someone had colored them with a bright baby blue marker. They would be his undoing. He wondered what Steve was thinking. They both sat there staring into each other's eyes as if someone used the remote from Click to stop time. Tony saw the gears turning in Steve's brain. He saw thoughts processing, his face reddening. He wondered what was going on in there. He started to look at him quizzically, because he was starting to look quiet unresponsive to him.   
           "I..sorry. I'm really just..I'm not really used to being with other people.   I keep thinking of my old school. Sorry.." Steve said, shrugging.   
       Something about that statement made Tony soften a bit. He felt bad for being mean. Steve was clearly having enough issues on his own. He didn't need some short rich bastard ruining his first experience at Marvel High. He had a sort of almost smile as he spoke calmly to him.      
     "I know what you mean. Don't worry about it...it's..it's okay. Flashbacks sure can suck. Anyway. What's your locker number?" Tony said in sort of a soothing voice. He saw Steve smile back again.   
          "Thanks, Tony. I'm hoping they'll go away soon..they really do suck. It's...741. What's yours?"   
        Tony blanched a little at that. His was 740. So that meant..homeroom sitting exactly behind Steve. Having the same damn schedule as Steve. AND having a locker right next to his?! The Fates really had something against Tony. He sighed internally and said, "....740..."  
       "Oh! Then our lockers are right next to each other! Cool! Right?" Steve said happily at first, but Tony watched as his eyes fell. He felt so bad, but couldn't keep this up. He didn't know what to do. He was so...torn, he didn't know whether he wanted the pain that would come with going after the jock, or if he wanted the pain that would come with ignoring Steve. This was tearing him apart inside. 'Woah, Tony. What the hell? You barely even know the kid, and you're THIS obsessed? Calm yo tits, kid.'  he thought to himself.   
      "We..we should probably go to our lockers." he said hesitantly, then got up out of his seat and to the door as fast as possible, not waiting for Steve. He felt his breathing accelerate and he tried to calm it as much as possible. He found his locker and did the combination given on the little card that was with his schedule. He opened it and stood there staring at its emptiness. He plunked his head down against the top shelf and sighed. What the hell was going on with his mind? 

Steve: Steve walked over to where Tony was standing. He went to his locker, and started putting his combination in. It wasn't opening, no matter how many times he tried it, and he noticed that Tony was watching him.   
       "You have to turn it right first, instead of left." Tony said.   
        "I...oh. Okay. I..I see now. Thanks." Steve went and did what Tony said, and it opened on his first try. He looked inside at its emptiness and sighed. He wondered how he could make it look...homier. It was so bland.   
         "Is that...IT IS! STEVIE!!!"   
         Steve groaned inwardly. NOOOOO. No no no. Not..no. He forgot about his cousin Johnny who went here. Hotshot Johnny Storm. Playboy, hotshot Johnny Storm. Steve turned around and put on the biggest fake smile he could muster.   
       "Hey, Johnny...I forgot you went he-"  
       "STEVIE! I haven't seen you in FOREVER! Remember when we were younger, that one Christmas when you-"   
       "Aaaaaaaaaaah yep I remember heh..yup, it's been a while, Johnny.."  
        "Stevie?" Tony piped up at that moment, with a smirk and mischievous gleam in his eyes. Steve gave him a look that said 'Don't encourage him...' Tony just smirked even more.   
        "Stevie, when did you start going here? I thought you were homeschooled!" Johnny said, walking up and clapping a massive hand on Steve's broad shoulders.   
         "Today's my first day. I was." Steve said, trying to get out from his heavy grip. Johnny clearly either didn't see what he was trying to do or really WAS that cocky. He wasn't sure who was cockier..Johnny or Tony. That was debatable.   
           "Well, Stevie..you sure bulked up. When did this happen?" Johnny said, checking Steve out. 'If he calls me Stevie ONE MORE TIME...' Steve thought. Tony just stood there and smirked on.   
            "Yeah..I...oh, there's the first bell, I have to get to class. Tony has to show me around. So we'll see you later, Johnny...bye.." Steve said through clenched teeth. He saw Johnny look between him and Tony.   
               "Okay. But just remember..there are cameras everywhere, so don't you two try anything!" Johnny said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows before running off. Steve sighed, then looked to Tony. He saw Tony holding back a grin.   
         "So, Stevie," he began. Steve shot him a death glare, "How do you know Mr. Hotshot over there?"   
          "He's my cousin.." Steve said through gritted teeth.   
          "Any chance you're gonna tell me about that Christmas?" Tony said, snickering.   
          Steve shot him the death glare before smirking back despite himself. 

Tony: After Steve was done being "greeted" by Mr. Hotshot Johnny Storm (who turned out to be his cousin...which Tony now believed, because damn did they look alike), he waited for Steve and they headed to first period. Tony was stopped in his tracks by a familiar voice.   
       "AY, Stark! Is that your new BOOOOOOYFRIEND?!" Tony cringed, then remembered no one knew his little secret. It was just Logan being a nugget again.   
        "What the hell do YOU want, Logan? You're one to talk. Speaking of which, who's topping...you or Scott?" Tony turned around to see Logan in his signature white tank and jeans, looking gruff and mean with his scruffy face and wild brown hair. He turned and saw Scott in his signature red-shade sunglasses, his brown hair perfectly coiffed. He didn't MIND Scott, he was quiet and never gave Tony problems. Logan, on the other hand.. It would forever be a mystery as to why Scott and Logan were so close. They were polar opposites.   
        "None of your damn business, Stark. I could ask you the same." Logan growled, stepping closer till his face was inches from Tony's. Only about 3 inches taller. Tony could smell the cigar smoke wafting off his clothes and fought the urge to gag. "Anyway, ya gonna tell me who Blondie over here is or no?" Logan said, nodding to Steve.   
       "Uhh..I..uh..I'm Steve. Steve Rogers. I'm new." Steve stammered out.   
       "Coulda guessed that, Blondie. Name's Logan, and this is Scott." Tony watched as he nodded back to his only crony. Scott smiled at Steve and sort of waved, while Logan just kept his oh-so-familiar scowl.   
        "Well, as...arousing to me as your presence is, I'm gonna have to leave you now..but don't worry..you'll see me again in your wet dreams tonight." Tony clicked his tongue and made the finger guns at a stunned Logan before turning around and walking with Steve again to class. He turned when he heard Steve laughing, and smirked despite himself.   
         "So, how often do those sass-offs happen? What's his deal, anyway? That Scott kid seemed pretty nice though." Steve said, catching up with Tony's fast pace.   
         "About daily, no one knows, and he is." Tony rattled off.   
        "Oh. Well, okay." Steve said, and followed Tony through the doors.   
      Tony let Steve pass him (mostly out of politeness, but, hey..he had a rather nice set of buns and Tony didn't see the harm in a quick peek when he had his shades on..no one would know) and then followed him to their seats. He settled in behind him as class started, and let his subconscious absorb all education going on. He needed to think.   
       Okay. So. He was gay for Steve, he obviously knew that know. He was slowly breaking down that wall, BUT, Tony kept building it right back up. It was hard, though..Steve was like a damn puppy dog! He couldn't bring himself to hate him, no matter how he tried. He mulled all this over as Professor X. droned on and on about the syllabus. Tony stared at the back of Steve's perfect head of hair and decided that he wouldn't have anything to do with perfect Steve Rogers. No, sirree bob. He would not. 

Steve: After first period, Tony seemed...distant. He showed Tony to their classes in silence, and never cracked another snarky remark when it was just them. Steve was lost. He wouldn't admit it, well, he probably would..but Tony's inexplicable shunning hurt Steve. He felt..inadequate. He wanted to know why Tony wouldn't have anything to do with him. He ALSO wanted to know why he cared so much about  Tony Stark. About Tony Stark who has been a little dick to him ALL DAY, for NO reason. Steve didn't know why he cared so much. He also didn't know why he kept thinking of Tony's eyes, Tony's smile, Tony's sass...Pretty much anything Tony-related was fair game right now.   
      By lunch time, Steve had seen Thor in the halls. He only waved because Thor was leaning against some lockers talking to a pretty(ish? Steve didn't really see her in that way but that's what he'd describe her as) plain brown-haired girl. He figured he'd catch him at practice later and went on his way. He spotted Pepper waving to him from a table at the back of the cafeteria, and walked over there. Once there, he saw Pepper (of course), Bruce, Loki, Clint, and some red-haired chick who frankly scared him already. And of course..Tony. Tony wouldn't meet Steve's gaze. Steve sat down by Pepper (across from Tony..joy) and smiled at her.   
       "Hey, guys. This is Steve Rogers, he's new. Okay..well..Bruce, Tony, Clint.. You already know him so shut the hell up. And Loki..you may know him through your brother, right?" she paused and Loki nodded and smiled. Cute kid. Steve smiled and said "Hey there." before letting Pepper have control again. He could tell she loved it.   
       "Nat, Steve. Steve, Nat. Nat is Clint's girlfriend." Pepper then pointed to the redheaded chick and she merely gave a small wave before turning her attention back to nothing. Steve wasn't sure what to make of her. She made him really uneasy. 'Wuss. Scared of a girl..' Steve thought to himself.   
       Pepper took her seat in between Steve and Bruce and started eating her salad. Steve noticed Bruce looking over at her in adoration every now and then. He saw Clint boop Nat's nose and her crack a small smile. He saw Loki chatting excitedly to Tony the whole period. But Tony just stared down at his pizza the whole time. Steve mostly talked to Pepper, because she dominated most of the conversations at the table. He asked Loki how he's been, and said he hasn't seen him in forever! To which Loki smiled shyly and said he'd stop by practices more often to be a ballboy. Steve smiled and said okay. Before he knew it, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Steve headed to his next class with Pepper, Bruce, and Tony. Steve was sure that the only reason Tony was still tagging along with him is because Professor Xavier told him to. If not, he'd probably be taking the back ways to all of his classes, in order to successfully avoid Steve like the plague. Steve's stomach churned and he put the thought out of his mind.  
     It turned out that Steve and Tony say by each other in this class too. Of course. That's been the way it's gone the whole day. Steve couldn't believe his /luck/. Getting a tour guide who wants nothing to do with you but gets stuck with you everywhere...every guy's dream.   
      After the bell rang, Steve and Tony walked in silence to study hall. Steve tried to make conversation several times (it was a long walk), but Tony wouldn't participate other than "hmm"s and "mmm"s. Steve sighed and gave up.     
       Once there, they (of course) were by each other, and it was another silent class. Steve decided to take out his sketch book and play around. He let his pencil move freely around the paper until he finished his masterpiece. He looked down to admire his work. With a gasp, he realized what he'd drawn.   
         Tony Stark.   
        He had captured every line of his face perfectly. He got the thickness of his hair, the shape of his jaw. He realized that he must've been staring at him and hoped he hadn't noticed. He hadn't. Tony'd been playing Temple Run the whole period. Steve let out a sigh, and packed away his art supplies as the bell rang. He followed Tony to the band room. In silence, of course.   
        In band, he pretty much just sat there and sketched some more. He couldn't really play since he'd be playing football at the games instead of marching. So he sat there and drew until he had tons of stills of Tony playing the drums. He couldn't believe how amazing he was. He saw that Nat girl next to him playing too. She must be second in command. He saw Pepper sit down with her clarinet, Bruce and Thor on tuba, Clint on trumpet, and Loki on trombone. The kid named Scott from earlier played sax like him and they sat each other and got to know each other pretty well. They exchanged numbers before the end of the period. The bell rang as they put their instruments away, and Steve waited for Tony by the door. Tony nodded his head to the left and Steve followed.   
      Math was a bore. Steve HATED math, but needed scholarships. He took hard classes so he could get as many as possible. He tried to pay attention to Mr. Richards, but just couldn't. He sketched some tiny Tony's along the border of his syllabus and then reflected on himself. 'Okay. I have a problem...' he thought to himself. Then, went back to sketching. He drew a few pairs of Tony's eyes, reveling in their beauty again and again. Yet, he could never seem to capture that quality that made them breathtaking. That period flew by. It was the end of the day (finally!). Steve followed Tony back to their lockers, then out to his car where they met up with Clint, Pepper, and Bruce. They all got in and set to dropping everyone off.   
       Pepper asked Steve endless questions about how his day went. He answered them all, only half listening. He couldn't explain the magnetic feeling he was getting from Tony in the front seat. He couldn't keep his eyes from flirting to his form nervously, then back again. He hope it wasn't noticeable..  
      They dropped Pepper off first, to Steve's dismay. She was the only one who talked to him in here..now it'd be one big awkward silence. Like the whole day had been. Joy.   
       To his surprise, Bruce made some conversation with him, and so did Clint. Tony was the only one who remained apathetic and quieter than a churchmouse. Steve got dropped off next in the parking lot where he had left his car that morning.   
       "Thank you guys so much for today..I couldn't thank you enough. Really." Steve said appreciatively to the remaining guys.   
        "Anytime," Bruce said humbly.  
        "No prob, Bob," Clint said, making finger guns at him.  
        "Uh huh," Tony mumbled.   
        Just as Steve was closing the door, he heard Tony pipe up one last time.   
        "Do you need a ride tomorrow?" he asked monotonously.   
        "I..sure. Thanks, Tony. I'll give Pepper my address later. See you guys." with that, he shut the door and made his way to his car, watching Tony speed off into the distance.  
         He was so confused. He didn't know what to make of Tony. First the ignoring, now he offered him a ride again? He shook his head and made his way home.


	4. Confessions and    Other Unholy Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confessions come out.

Steve: He headed up to his room after he assured Stacey that everything went fine. He told her he'd made friends and would be getting a ride again tomorrow, and she seemed pleased enough to let him pass.   
          Once in his room, he turned and closed the door. He stood there, then flopped down on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling as he mulled over everything from the day.   
          He sat up, and took out his phone. He found Pepper's name in his contacts, and typed out:   
      ;Hey, Pepper, it's Steve...um..could I maybe ask you something?;  
      Then hit send. He stared long and hard at his phone as he waited for a response, and nearly jumped out of his skin when it went off. He read:  
      ; Hi Steve! Sure, shoot. ;  
   Steve typed back:     
       ;  Did I do something to Tony? I think he hates me or something..and I don't know why. If I did do something, then..let me know so I can apologize. I don't know why he hates me already. He was fine until first period. Well..he went back and forth between fine and not fine...but..he was at least talking to me...;  
       He hit send and paced his room as he waited for the reply. A few minutes later, his phone chimed again.  
        ;Steve, don't worry..that's just Tony. He's very guarded. He'll warm up eventually. I'll talk to him though, so he quits giving you hell. Don't be so gloomy :) he just..shuts people out so he can't get hurt. It's amazing that he's let us in, so who knows. ;  
     He read that, then sent a simple "Thanks :)" to Pepper before flopping down on his bed once again and looking through his sketch book. He counted 3 close-ups of Tony's face, 10 of him playing drums, 2 of him bent over his work, and 3 of just his eyes. He sighed. He was obsessed with Tony Stark. In what way, he'd have to find out. 

Tony: Tony did his best to ignore Steve and make as little conversation as possible. He could see how badly it was hurting Steve, and felt pangs of guilt. He felt so selfish, but he couldn't let himself fall for Steve. Even though he pretty much already had.. So distancing himself was the best idea. He kept it strictly professional and polite as he showed him to each class.   
        In study hall, he noticed Steve take out his sketch book. He wondered what he could be drawing in such a short amount of time. He then took out his phone and turned his attention to Temple Run so he couldn't dwell on it. About 15 minutes later, in his peripheral vision he saw Steve put his pencil down and admire his work. Then he heard him gasp. He almost looked up, but willed himself not to. 'Steve is not my problem. Steve is not my problem. Steve is..Steve is...my problem...' he thought to himself, finally looking up at Steve. He felt a pang in his heart and looked back down before Steve could notice.    
        The rest of the day was a blur. He heard Steve follow him wordlessly to the car. Pepper, Bruce, and Clint were waiting there for them. Tony wordlessly slid into the drivers seat and drove off. He heard Pepper in the backseat talking Steve's ear off again. He drowned everything but his music out as he drove to Pepper's house to drop her off. After she got out, he realized that it was gonna be one huge awkward silence, seeing as she was the only one willing to talk. To his surprise though, Bruce and Clint talked with Steve till they got to the parking lot where he'd left his car just that morning. Tony pulled near it and parked his car. Steve thanked everyone and started to get out. Before Tony could stop himself, he piped out "Do you need a ride tomorrow?"   
        Steve stammered a yes and shut the door. Tony watched as he walked away to his car before speeding off towards the remaining friends' houses. He dropped off Bruce and then Clint, and then made his way home. He didn't see either of his parents, so he headed up to his room (which was also the top floor of their ginormous mansion). He had a huge room, a master bathroom, and a lab all to himself. If we was anywhere in his house during the daylight hours, it was his lab. He loved it.   
         He set his stuff down in his room and pocketed his phone before heading to the lab. He walked around all the tables and saw all the half-finished automatons and projects. He kept circling them, wondering which he'd work on today. He decided to work on perfecting JARVIS for the time being. Robot was getting sassy with him, and NO ONE is allowed to out-sass Tony Stark, other than Clint.   
        About 45 minutes in, his phone rang. "JARVIS, who is it?"   
        "It's Miss Potts, Mr. Stark. Answer or Decline?" the British-accented AI asked politely.   
        Tony hesitated. "...Sure, yeah, answer it..put it on speaker 'cause I'm busy." he was almost sure it had something to do with the fact that he'd been a dick to Steve, and he almost didn't wanna answer it. But with Pepper...you either answer or face her wrath afterwards.   
     "Tony? Are you there?"   
      "Yeah, hey Pep."  
      "Tony...can I just ask you something?"  
      "Shoot."  
       "Why were you being a dick to Steve?"  
       "I don't play well with others."  
     He heard her sigh. "Tony, it was his first day. Come on. He was crying this morning. You couldn't cut him some slack?"  
       "Pepper, I...he's a jock..I just..I can't...."  
       He heard the suspicion in her voice. "Can't...what, Tony?"  
       "I...can't. I can't be..around him. He's...I...GAAAAAHHHH!" Tony stammered out, finally slamming his tools down in frustration.   
       He heard the confusion in Pepper's voice. "Tony...I...I don't understand. I thought Steve seemed..nice."  
       "Pepper, he...he is! He's...he's too nice! Too nice, too perfect, too..." 'Straight...' he thought to himself..  
       "Tony...I'm lost. Do you hate the guy or what? What's going on here?"   
        Tony took a deep breath. Did he want to give his secret to someone? No. No, of course not. But...Pepper. He had known her forever and trusted her immensely. If he had to pick someone to tell it to, it'd be her. Not because he trusted Clint or Bruce any less, but...coming out to a guy is a LOT harder than coming out to a girl.   
         "Tony? Tony, are you still there? What's your deal?"  
         "Pepper, I...no, I don't hate Steve...I...I...think I'm..."  
         "You think you're....what..?" she trailed off, coaxing Tony to go on.   
        "Pepper, I...I think I...might...like.." he cringed on that word, "Steve..."  
        "Yeah, so does the rest of the crew. I dunno why it's such a big deal. Or why you're being a little dick to him. Why not just be nice? I mean, Steve is so nice, I don't see why-"   
       "Pepper, I'm gay."   
      Silence on the other end.   
       "You're....what?" she asked, a little breathlessly.   
        "I'm...I'm gay." he said with more conviction.  
        "How long...?" she managed to get out.   
         "Have I known?" Tony finished for her. "Well...I...Pepper, ya know how I haven't dated a girl for more than 3 months?"  
          "I....yes."   
         "And how I always had stupid excuses why I ended things?"  
          "Yes.."   
          "I never felt any sparks or chemistry with them. I couldn't bear to be with them when I didn't even feel anything for them. I always had a...suspicion that I was..gay, but I wasn't 100% sure until...until..."  
          "Until....?"  
          "Until I...until I met Steve.."  
          "Oh." was all Pepper could say.   
          "Yup..."  
          "Tony...who else knows?"  
          "Only you, Pep. I only decided for sure that I am today.."  
          "Oh, well..are you gonna tell the guys?"  
          "I...in due time, I will. I think I need to adjust to the fact that I really am gay..." it was getting easier and easier to say, "And once I fully understand that, I'll tell them.."   
          "Well..thanks for letting me be the first. Tony..there's nothing wrong with this. I don't see you any differently, and neither will the guys. No one will. And I mean..if you..want...I could be your cover-up...we could let the guys know so no drama could be caused, but...Tony, if you want me to, I will."  
          He thought that over. Was that what he really wanted? To have to put on an act anytime he was in public JUST so people wouldn't hurt him? Tony was guarded, but not THAT guarded. He wasn't one to pretend to be someone he wasn't. He set his jaw, and answered back, "No. Thanks Pep, but no. I won't pretend to be anything that I'm not. Besides..you and..Bruce, I mean..I wouldn't want to stop that.." he and Clint were the only people who knew about her crush on Bruce. Well, he imagined Nat knew too, but he wasn't sure. She had liked him since forever, and he didn't want to interfere with that or jeopardize her chances.   
        "Tony, are you sure? It won't hurt me or anyone. I'm here for you, I promise you that. Gay or straight, you're still Tony Stark, and you're still my best friend. Nothing will change that. For some people..the grass isn't greener on the other side. For some..it's..greener on the same side. And for some..it's..erm..equally green on both sides..but..I...to each their own, I guess.."   
       Tony had to laugh at Pepper's use of that metaphor.   
       "Pepper, I...thank you, for accepting it. I couldn't ask for a better best friend. Ever."  
       He heard the smile in her voice. "You're welcome, Tony. Don't worry about it. So..will you at least try to be normal around Steve tomorrow? And by normal, I mean...don't be a dick."   
        "I...okay. I'll try. In fact..Pepper..do you have his number?"   
         He heard the smiling tone get even more obvious, as she practically sang out a "Yeeeeeeesssssssss.."  
         "Shut it, Potts. Can I have it so I can apologize? Guilt is attacking me and I really don't enjoy it.." it was not usual that Tony felt guilty for being mean. He usually didn't care about how many people his snark hurt. He wrote down Steve's number as Pepper rattled it off, and stared at it.  
         "Thanks, Pep. I really..thanks."  
         "No problem, Tony. Now go be nice. In fact..hey..Tony? Would it be alright if I stop over?"  
          "Sure, see you in a few." he said, and hung up the phone. He went to a corner of his lab, and stared at the slip of paper with his tiny writing scrawled on it. He decided to wait for Pepper before he texted Steve. He needed some support. He went back to work on his project for about 10 minutes when he heard the doorbell ring. He went down the three flights of pristine glass steps and opened the front door.   
           As soon as it was open, Pepper lurched forward and almost knocked him over with a hug. He smiled at her forcefulness and hugged her back until she pulled away.   
          "Thank you for telling me..." she said, smiling.   
          "Thank you for accepting me.." Tony said back, suddenly bashful.   
          She followed him back upstairs to his lab so he could get his phone and Steve's number. They walked into his room and sat down on his bed as he continued to stare at the number.   
        "Tony...just do it. Are you..telling him?"   
        "No..not yet. I can't. I..I can't tell him yet. Maybe not ever. He's..Pepper..he's straight as can be. He's a football player for God's sake! I'd just embarrass myself. If I told him, then he'd go back and tell the team that I'm after him with my little wet dreams. I can't do this.." he said, getting up and walking over to his glass wall. It overlooked woods and a river. He stood there, taking in the sights as he tried to calm his nerves.   
       "Tony, let me ask you something. You were with Steve all day. Did you see him acknowledge ANY football players? At all?"   
        He thought about that. He had seen him wave to Thor. They both had waved. Tony would've said hi but Thor was leaning against some lockers with Jane. He decided not to bother him and they both had went on their way. But..other than Thor..he hadn't seen Steve pay attention to any of the other football players they passed. Huh. Why hadn't he noticed that earlier?   
       "I...no.."  
        "Then what makes you think he's a typical jock?"  
        "I...I don't know.." he said, pacing the wall.   
        "Okay, so. Tony..come apologize.  I promise you, Steve isn't like that. I'd suggest you hurry because football starts at 5:30, and it's just nearing 5:00."  
        At that, Tony whipped his head towards his phone. He had taken his sunglasses off, he was just wearing his dorky prescription glasses now. He knew his eyes were giving everything away but he didn't care. Pepper knew his secret, so who cares if she actually saw down deep? He didn't. And that surprised him. He looked up to her face, and saw her give him a reassuring smile. With that, he smiled weakly, and walked back towards the bed. He put the number in his contacts then typed out:   
          ;Hey, Steve..it's Tony. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for earlier. I was..a bit caught up in some stuff. Sorry for being a dick.;   
      And he hit send. Pepper reached over and put a reassuring hand on his and they sat like that until Tony's phone buzzed. He felt his heart hammering in his chest as he opened it. It read:   
        ;Hi, Tony. It's all good. I understand that. Hahaha..so, wanna just start over tomorrow? I'm cool with that if you are.;  
        Tony felt a wave of relief wash over him. He felt himself smiling like a doofus and wrote back:   
         ;Sure, sounds good to me. Thanks. Oh and give Pepper your address later, I'll never remember it.;   
        A few minutes later, he got back:   
            ;Okay, I will, thanks. Btw. Did Pepper give you my number?;   
        He felt his heart sink a little. 'Oh, no..what if he doesn't want me to have his number?' Tony thought sadly. He wrote back:   
         ;Yeah, she did. Sorry. I was feeling really guilty about today and I asked her. Guilty isn't a feeling I wear well.;  
       A few minutes later he got back:   
           ;No worries, man. My contact list is stunningly small. It's never bad to have new friends to talk to. Anyway, I kinda have to head to football..sorry. I'll text you when I'm done, if you want. See ya later.;  
        Tony felt himself smiling like a doof again. Steve wanted to talk to him. The only reason Steve wouldn't talk to him all night was because he had football. Steve had called them...friends? This had all gone better than imagined. He couldn't believe it. He sent back an "Okay, bye." and set down his phone. He turned to Pepper with his smile still on his face and this time, HE was the one who attacked and hugged HER. She giggled as she hugged him back.   
       "See? That wasn't so hard.." she said to him.   
       "I /GUESS/ not..." he said, because he was still Tony Stark, and Tony Stark doesn't admit to being wrong.  
        "Wanna call the guys and have a movie night?"  
         "Sounds good. BUT, I get to pick the movie!" Pepper smiled devilishly.   
        Tony groaned. "As long as its not a chick flick."   
        He left her to go downstairs to their immense movie selection in the home theater. He sent out a mass text to Clint, Bruce, and he thought he'd include Loki too.   
         ;Hey, guys. Movie night at my place?;   
        From Clint:   
      ;Sure, bro! See you in about 10 minutes.;   
        From Bruce:   
       ;Sure, thanks Tony. I'll be there within 15-20 minutes, as soon as Atom decides to get off my keys...;  
         From Loki:   
        ;Thanks, Tony! I'll be there in about 25 minutes. My mom has to take me because Thor is at football. See you then!;   
      Tony smiled, pocketed his phone, and thought about what he needed to get ready.   
          "JARVIS, get some popcorn and pizza ready."   
          "Of course, Master Stark."   
        Tony headed back to his lab and picked up where he left off. A few minutes later, Pepper padded in and sat on the table by him.  
          "On a scale of Steve to Clint, how girly is it?" Tony asked with a smirk, not looking up from his work.   
         "Ohhhh...youuuuu'll seeee..." she said in a sing-song voice.   
       Tony groaned but kept working on his projects. Pepper just sat there silently watching him. This was how they operated. They could sit in silence but it was still okay. If he was straight, Tony was sure he'd probably love Pepper in THAT way. Of course, that would be interfering with her and Bruce, but this was a different universe. In that one, straight Tony was with Pepper. In this one..not-so-straight Tony is falling for the quarterback, and Pepper has fallen WAAAAY hard for Bruce. But surprisingly...Tony liked THIS way so much more. It just felt right.   
        In about 10 minutes, Clint was there. JARVIS let him in and he figured Tony was in the lab, so he headed up there. Tony watched as he hopped up on the table next to Pepper. Pepper elbowed him playfully, and he returned the gesture. They really were close. All of them were. He only hoped he and Steve could be so close. 'In due time...' he thought to himself.   
         A few minutes later, Bruce arrived. He walked up to the lab and leaned against the table near Pepper. Tony could see her face redden and smiled. He saw her scoot a little closer to where Bruce was standing and thought he saw Bruce's face redden a bit. Hmm. Maybe he'd have to take a turn at matchmaking with them..  
         He went back to his work before he was jarred back out of it by Pepper gasping.   
        "Oh my God, Bruce! What happened?!" Tony looked up to see her grabbing his hand and pulling his arm on her lap. He saw Bruce redden a LOT and Tony smirked to himself.   
        "I, uh...Atom didn't want to move. Apparently my keys are comfortable for her...it's no biggie, really..don't worry about it. It'll go awa-OWW." he winced as Pepper ran a finger along the long scratch.   
         "Sorry, sorry! Bruce..you're bleeding! Come on, come with me. I'll clean you up. Tony, is your first aid still in your bathroom?" she asked, hopping down from the table. He noticed she hadn't let go of Bruce's hand. Bruce noticed too.   
        "Yup, behind the mirror."   
        "Alright, come on Bruce. I won't hurt you, I promise.." she said, dragging him by the hand. He turned and mouthed 'HELP ME' to Tony and Clint before disappearing through the doorway.   
         "PEPPER! DON'T YOU HURT MY BROOOOOSE!!" Clint shouted, and then laughed along with Tony.   
         "SHUT IT CLINT! IM NOT /THAT/ BAD!"   
          They both heard Bruce groan and laughed.   
          "So, what's going on with those two? I mean, Pepper, we already know..but Bruce? Since this morning, he's been a huge tomato around her! Do you think he likes her back?" Clint whispered to Tony.   
           "You noticed too? I dunno, man....I hope, though. We'll just have to wait and see." Tony said.   
          A few minutes later, Loki walked in.   
           "Hi guys! Thanks for having me Tony! Sorry I was so late, my mom had to run some errands before dropping me off..where are Pepper and Bruce?" he said, always a smile on his face.   
          As if in answer to the last question, a long, loud "OOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!" came from the bathroom, followed by a "SORRY, SORRY!!!". Tony and Clint laughed while Loki looked horrified.   
        "What's she doing to him?!"   
        "Fixing him up from his latest Atom attack."  
        "Oh..." Loki nodded his understanding. At that moment, they emerged from the bathroom. Bruce was wincing and holding his arm, and Pepper was following behind looking sheepish.  
        "What do you guys think? Ready to go down?" Tony said, putting down his tools.   
        "Sure!" they all said, and followed Tony out.   
         Once down there, they all groaned as they saw what Pepper picked. The Last Song. They all let her put it on though, because she'd give them hell if not. Also, she was always pretty good about dealing with their action movies and stuff, so they could deal. They settled in and got ready to watch it. Bruce sat on one side of Pepper, Clint on the other. Loki sat in the middle of all of them. Tony was behind Pepper. Instead of using the fancy theater seats the Starks had, they all got tons of blankets and pillows and got all cozy in their little fort. Tony hit play and settled back as the opening credits rolled.   
        The movie wasn't that bad (though he wouldn't admit that to anyone). Clint made it bearable with his occasional remarks about Miley Cyrus ("Look at that bitch! Honey, that shirt does NOT go with those shorts!" "This bitch! She thinks she's hot shit! Well SOOOORRRY, my bitch Nicki is SOOOOO much better!" "For God's sake, is she color blind?! Those colors clash!"). Tony saw Pepper lean closer to Bruce a few times. He started to pick up his arm to put it around her, but stopped each time. Finally, Pepper started falling asleep on Clint's shoulder. Tony and Clint shared a look, then saw Clint turn to Bruce.   
         "Here..." he collected Pepper's sleeping form and transported it to Bruce. Not knowing what else to do, Bruce stammered "But...but I.." Clint just put Pepper in his open arms and shut him up. He saw Bruce adjust his arms so she could be more comfortable, and saw Pepper smile slightly and curl closer into Bruce. Tony and Clint shared a smile as Bruce smiled down at her. 'He TOOOOOTALLY likes her...' thought Tony.   
        So now, the four guys were sitting there watching The Last Song together. They all pretended they didn't tear up (well, all except for Clint. He was openly sobbing) and when it was over, they looked around awkwardly. Bruce was the first to break the silence.   
           "I'll take her home..." he said, and picked up Pepper. He carried her up the steps and to his car. He buckled her in the backseat and walked back over to Tony.   
           "Thanks man, it was fun. See you in the morning." Tony watched Bruce walk back to his car, and pull out.   
          "I didn't know he was that strong..." whispered Clint.   
         "Me either.." snickered Tony. "But, hey. We set them up nicely, huh?" they both snickered and high-fived.   
        "Loki, do you need a ride?" Clint asked, shaking his keys.   
        "Nahh, Thor is gonna get me after practice. It should be over in about 5 minutes. Thanks though!"  
       That reminded Tony. Steve. That also have him an idea.   
        "No problem, kiddo. See ya tomorrow, Tony. Thanks for having me!" Clint said, getting in his car and pulling away. They waved bye, then went to sit on Tony's front porch.   
        "So, Loki. You know Steve?" Tony asked, turning to the smaller boy.   
        "Rogers? Yeah! He's really nice! Him and Thor play football together..why?"   
        "Just curious..." Tony said vaguely. In about 10 minutes, he saw Thor's truck pulling up. He walked Loki over so he could say hi to Thor.   
        "Hey, man. How are you?!" Thor boomed. Tony was nearly knocked over from the stench of Thor's football bag. He saw Loki wrinkling his nose at the smell, too.   
        "I'm...good, thanks. How was football?"   
        "Good! Tiring though. They worked us!"   
          "I believe it..anyway, see you guys tomorrow!" Tony tried to get away from that smell as fast as possible.   
           "Thanks, Tony!" the brothers said in unison, then laughed. He waved as they pulled away, then headed in. He went up to his room and got ready for bed. He laid there in the dark with his phone, when he got a message from Steve:  
         ;Just got out of practice, sorry. Coach held us over. If you're sleeping or wanna sleep, then sorry and goodnight! If not, then I'm up for talking. Your call.;  
       Tony smiled. He said goodnight. Thats something there. This was exactly like how girlfriends and boyfriends talk. He knew they were just friends. He knew Steve was straight as hell and would never go for him. But..Steve was willing to break through his guarded heart. THAT had to mean he wanted to be around him. And for now..that was enough for Tony. He wrote back:   
        ;It's cool, not your fault. I'm good if you wanna talk, but you just got out of practice, so you're probably really tired..;  
         He smiled to himself. He got back:   
        ;Ya know, I think I just might hit the sack. I didn't get much sleep last night. First day jitters and all. Sorry! Talk to you tomorrow. Oh! I sent Pepper my address. She knows. Goodnight!;   
        Tony could deal with that. Honestly, he was really tired too. It had been a LONG day..he wrote back:   
          ;Okay, thanks! Don't worry about it, I'm kinda tired too. Get some sleep. Goodnight.;  
       He hit send, then placed his phone on his nightstand. The last thing he remembered before drifting off to sleep was thinking about Steve, and smiling peacefully. 


	5. Bad Dreams and Late Night Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Restless nights.

Steve: Steve sat at the dinner table with John and Stacey. They asked him endless questions about his first day, and he answered them all to the best of his ability. He couldn't focus much though, and wasn't really hungry..he kept thinking of Tony. What it was about him, he didn't know. Steve was so confused about everything that was going on. He didn't know why he couldn't get him off of his mind. He hurried to finish dinner, before hurrying back upstairs to his room before practice. He had just entered the door though when he saw a flashing light from across the room. His phone had just gotten a new message. He walked over to it, and saw that it was from a number he didn't recognize. He opened it, puzzled, and read:           
           ;Hey, Steve..it's Tony. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for earlier. I was..a bit caught up in some stuff. Sorry for being a dick.;   
      He felt his jaw drop. Tony? Tony was...apologizing? Tony was texting him?! Does that mean..everything is alright? They can be friends now? All of these questions ran through his mind as he calmly wrote back:   
            ;Hi, Tony. It's all good. I understand that. Hahaha..so, wanna just start over tomorrow? I'm cool with that if you are.;  
       He set his phone down as he paced back and forth. He didn't know what he was feeling. He felt his stomach churning and resisted the urge to freak out. He jumped when his phone went off and nearly sprinted to it. He read:   
         ;Sure, sounds good to me. Thanks. Oh and give Pepper your address later, I'll never remember it.;   
      Steve felt his heart leap. For the first time since that morning, he felt really, truly happy. He couldn't believe Tony actually wanted to be friends with /him/. Then he thought of something. How did Tony even get his number?! 'Pepper...' he thought to himself. Steve remembered to text her his address and sent to Tony:   
       ;Okay, I will, thanks. Btw. Did Pepper give you my number?;   
         Steve then looked at he clock. He would have to be leaving soon. He went to get his football stuff, then came running right back when he heard his phone chime. From Tony:   
            ;Yeah, she did. Sorry. I was feeling really guilty about today and I asked her. Guilty isn't a feeling I wear well.;  
       Steve chuckled at that. He didn't imagine Tony to be the guilty type. Snarky Stark didn't seem to care who he sassed or why. Then he thought of something. Why..did he feel bad for sassing Steve? Steve felt a little leap of something in his stomach. He..thought he knew the feeling. He couldn't believe that he was feeling it though. It had only happened once before, so he could be wrong, but..this didn't feel like he was wrong... He sent back:   
             ;No worries, man. My contact list is stunningly small. It's never bad to have new friends to talk to. Anyway, I kinda have to head to football..sorry. I'll text you when I'm done, if you want. See ya later.;     
        Steve gathered his gear and threw his phone in his bag. He went to his car and drove up to the school. He parked by the field and got out to head to the locker rooms. Once there, he scanned the faces for Thor and made his way over to him.  
        "Hey, man." Thor said, pulling Steve into a brohug. Even though Steve was big, Thor was somehow bigger, and almost crushed Steve in his massive grip. Steve caught his breath when he let go and clapped him on the back in the way that bros do. They got ready for practice, making small talk the whole time.   
      The team headed to the field, where they did drills till 10. It was a Friday, so Coach decided he'd hold them over. As they headed towards the locker rooms again, Steve drifted lethargically over to Thor.   
       "Man..does he make those harder everytime?" Steve asked, breathless.  
       "Feels like it. So, Steve. Why were you with Tony Stark all day today?" Thor asked innocently. Steve felt his ears redden at the mention of Tony's name. That same nagging thought from earlier bit at the back of his brain but he pushed it away again, so he could answer nonchalantly, "Oh, he was my tour guide for the day. We have the same schedules. Cool kid. He's pretty funny."   
       "Yeah, Stark has always been good to my brother, so I'll always be good to him. He is funny. Small, though." Thor said, his eyebrows coming together comically at that last part as he gestured about Tony's height.   
       "Yeah, your brother is pretty cool too. Cute kid. And Thor, EVERYONE is small to you!" Steve said, laughing. Thor chuckled an merely nodded his head in agreement before they entered the locker room once again.   
       Steve hopped in the shower, and cleaned himself EVERYWHERE. He felt all stinky and nasty from practice. He had to have been in there for a good half an hour before he finally felt clean enough to emerge. He stepped out to find that everyone had gone home, Thor and Coach included. He felt a little weirded out at being alone in such a creepy place (the school was old and gave him the heebie-jeebies), so he dressed quickly and nearly bolted to his car.   
      Once safely inside, he turned the radio to his 40's station (and no, that does not mean TOP 40's....). He felt himself coming down from all that adrenaline and testosterone as he followed the now-familiar roads back home.   
         Once inside, he headed straight to his room and flopped on his bed. He took his phone out and texted Tony:   
        ;Just got out of practice, sorry. Coach held us over. If you're sleeping or wanna sleep, then sorry and goodnight! If not, then I'm up for talking. Your call.;  
       He reread what he just sent. "Goodnight!"? 'Jesus, Steve..is he your girlfriend?!' he thought to himself, before sighing happily and dozing off a little. 'I wish...' his subconscious thought. 'What? No, I...what?!' his conscious thought. His inner conflict was interrupted by his phone buzzing again:   
           ;It's cool, not your fault. I'm good if you wanna talk, but you just got out of practice, so you're probably really tired..;  
       He smiled sleepily. So, so tired..he could...he could always talk to Tony in the morning...he wrote back:   
          ;Ya know, I think I just might hit the sack. I didn't get much sleep last night. First day jitters and all. Sorry! Talk to you tomorrow. Oh! I sent Pepper my address. She knows. Goodnight!;   
      He settled down then, only to be jolted out of sleep by his phone once more. From Tony:    
         ;Okay, thanks! Don't worry about it, I'm kinda tired too. Get some sleep. Goodnight.;  
       Steve smiled to himself, for whatever reason. 'Steve..you like Tony...' taunted a small, mean voice in the back of his head. 'Shut it, he's asleep..he'll find out soon enough!' said a calming voice from the other side of his brain. He was soon asleep.   
       ----------------------  
       Steve was in a world of bubbles. He was standing on fluffy clouds, and bubbles were floating everywhere. He felt something in his right hand. He looked down. He saw a hand..attached to an arm...attached to a boy...and that boy was a smallish brown-haired boy with wild hair and sunglasses. Tony.   
       Steve opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out were bubbles. He reached over to take Tony's other hand, and as he did, they started to fall through the cloud. They kept falling for what felt like forever. They never hit the ground.   
    -------------------------  
     Steve jolted awake, breathing heavily. He..he had felt like he was falling..and...he looked to his right hand. In it, was his left. He felt his cheeks redden as he thought about that dream. It all felt so...real.. And yet...he had...'No, no Steve...it was just a dream..' he told himself. He looked over to the clock, and saw the red numbers lit up in the darkness. 1:30 am. He groaned and rolled over, and fell back asleep.   
    ------------------  
      This time, Steve wasn't in a world of bubbles. He...he knew this place. It was his old school.   
       "Why am I here?" dream Steve said.   
       "Because your nightmares never leave, Scrawny Steve." he heard that mean, taunting voice he had so loathed before. He looked down, and sure enough, he was scrawny again. He felt his breathing start to accelerate, and started to back up.   
      "What are..where are you? Leave me alone!" dream Steve screamed out, sobbing. Suddenly, he felt another warmness in his right hand. This time, the hand was female.   
      "P..Peggy?" he said, wiping away some of his tears.   
       "Oh, Steve, I love you..I love you..I love you..I love you..." Peggy echoed on and on. Although it wasn't Peggy's voice. It was...another voice, a deepish make voice that he thought he should know but couldn't recall. Suddenly, Peggy started to shift into someone else. He recognized the familiar hand and looked up to see Tony. It had been his voice. It was still echoing, as the room started spinning and the floor fell out.   
    -------------------------  
     "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!" Steve woke up screaming. He felt wetness on his cheeks. He rubbed it off only to realize that he'd been sobbing in his sleep. He hoped no one had heard him. It was still dark out, and his hands were holding themselves again. He looked at the clock. 3:30 am. He figured that as long as he tried to sleep tonight, the dreams would only get worse. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, stretched, and padded downstairs. He got a drink of water before silently walking back up to his room. He look at his phone. He didn't want to be a burden, but...he was pretty distraught. He pulled up his messages and typed out:   
        ;Hey, Tony...if you don't wake up or don't wanna wake up that's fine. I understand. I just..I need someone to talk to and you're the only person I feel comfortable with for some reason.. I'm really sorry :/ ;   
      Steve realized the tears were still coming and dried them some more. He sniffled and laid back on his bed. 'What could these dreams MEAN?' he thought to himself. 'Why...Tony? Do I...no..I don't..I...wh..I...' his brain spluttered out as his phone chimed with a text. 

Tony:   
  --------------------------------  
        Tony was flying. Well, not him, per se, but his car was. He was flying down an abandoned country road at what had to be 200 mph. He had the top down on his cherry-red vintage Mustang and the wind was rushing through his hair. "Shoot to Thrill" was on, and it was up to deafening levels. This was the perfect clear summer day. This dream was perfect. Just Tony, and the open road.   
       Suddenly, he felt something on his leg. It was a hand. He looked up and saw Steve sitting there in the passenger seat, smiling seductively. Tony felt his face redden. Then he was blinded by the sun. Wait..if he was blinded by the sun...then that means...  
       He didn't have his glasses. This perfect dream turned into a horrible nightmare so, so fast. Steve leaned forward and as their lips met, the car crashed.   
\-------------------------------  
     Tony jolted awake. He felt his cheeks were warm. He sat up. It was still dark. He thought about the dream, then felt his cheeks grow warmer still. He brushed the tips of his fingers across his lips as he felt himself shiver. 'Jesus Christ, Tony. When did you turn into Bella Swan?' he thought to himself as he sat up. He looked at the clock. 3:30 am. He sighed, then went to get a drink. He came back up to see his phone lighting up.   
       "Who the hell...?" he said out loud as he walked over to it. 1 NEW MESSAGE FROM STEVE it said. He felt his heart leap. Then he remembered the time. He hoped everything was alright..he read:   
         ;Hey, Tony...if you don't wake up or don't wanna wake up that's fine. I understand. I just..I need someone to talk to and you're the only person I feel comfortable with for some reason.. I'm really sorry :/ ;  
     Tony felt his heart thudding in his chest. He needed someone to talk to? Tony was the /only person/? He tried to calmly type out his message, but ended up just letting autocorrect take control in a ~Jesus take the wheel!~ sorta thing. He wrote:  
      ;Actually, I just woke up myself..maybe talking to someone would be best for both of us. Don't worry about it, I'm here if you ever need to talk. You can wake me up if you ever need anything. So go ahead. Shoot.;   
      He hit send, and flopped onto his bed. 

Steve: Steve turned on his desk lamp and took out his sketch book. He started drawing random lines and shapes, and soon enough, he had drawn the bubble world with him and Tony holding hands. He stared at it and wondered what it meant. He ripped it out and put it facedown under his book. He then started sketching the thick, wispy lines of Tony's hair on a new close-up of his face. He heard his phone go off, so he went to get it. He read:   
         ;Actually, I just woke up myself..maybe talking to someone would be best for both of us. Don't worry about it, I'm here if you ever need to talk. You can wake me up if you ever need anything. So go ahead. Shoot.;  
      Steve felt himself smile at the last few parts. But something stopped him. Tony needed to talk too? He immediately started to worry about him. He wrote back:   
       ;What's wrong? Are you okay? Is everything alright? I'm sorry, is this a bad time?;   
       Steve hit send then sat back down at his desk. 

Tony: Tony had decided to make use of his extra hours of alertness by working in his lab. This time, he decided to work on his automaton of an iron man. He was designing the thrusters and outer-body weapons when he heard his phone buzz. He read:   
       ;What's wrong? Are you okay? Is everything alright? I'm sorry, is this a bad time?;  
      Tony chuckled to himself. He typed back:   
        ;No, Steve. It's 3:30 in the morning. This is just a peachy time for me. I'm just messing with you, don't worry. Yep, this time is perfectly fine for me. I told you, anytime you need anything, I'll be here. Geez, listen to me already :P ;   
      He hit send, and went back to his computers. He spun around the model as he decided the color scheme. A spark of color caught his eye from the other end of his room. He looked over and studied the fabric, and went "Hmm..."   
       Tony went back to his work, suddenly given an idea.   
   
Steve: Steve had just finished drawing the bridge of Tony's nose when he heard his phone go off. He went over to get it and read:   
         ;No, Steve. It's 3:30 in the morning. This is just a peachy time for me. I'm just messing with you, don't worry. Yep, this time is perfectly fine for me. I told you, anytime you need anything, I'll be here. Geez, listen to me already :P ;  
    Steve had felt his heart drop in guilt at first, but then saw that Tony had only been being sarcastic. Of course. Steve was sure he'd have to get used to the snark if he were to be friends with Tony. He wrote back:   
         ;Okay, well...thanks. So why are you up so early, Sunshine?;   
         Steve smirked. Two could play at that game. He went back to shading Tony's nose as the message sent. 

Pepper: Pepper had ended up dozing off while watching the movie. She knew this, in her subconscious. She vaguely felt herself being passed from one body to another warmer, softer one. She smiled, curling closer into the soft warmth.   
   --------------------------  
      Pepper was in Tony's basement. Except...she was the only one there. No one else could be found. No sign that they were there or anything. She stood up and went to go explore the house and hopefully find some people.   
      She climbed the pristine glass stairs as she heard noises from Tony's bedroom. She creeped closer to find the door ajar. She peeked in, and couldn't believe her eyes. Bruce...and Tony...and... Her eyes widened and she tried to scream, but nothing came out. Suddenly, the dream changed.   
       She was in a clear field of flowers. She was laying in the tall grass with Bruce by her side. She felt warmth from all around her. She felt Bruce take her hand and pull her up. They wandered down an abandoned dirt road as Bruce picked every flower he saw and gave them to Pepper. She smiled along as they neared a forest. At the forest's edge, he leaned in and was just an inch from her lips when the dream changed again.   
       She was all alone in Stark Mansion again. This time, she went towards the theater and found Bruce waiting for her in the same arrangement from last night. She walked over to him and he met her halfway, pulling her into his arms and not letting go. She felt herself smiling so much that it hurt.   
        She felt herself being shuffled around, and vaguely heard her father's voice before being hoisted up and carried. She felt something warm and inviting and curled towards that again, drifting deeper into her sleep again.   
\-------------------------

Tony: Tony was working on the colors for his model. Red and gold, he had decided. He noticed his shirt from that day and decided he REALLY liked those two colors together. He tried a few different ways for it to be colored before deciding on one and setting that into the computer. His phone went off and he read:   
         ;Okay, well...thanks. So why are you up so early, Sunshine?;  
     He chuckled. So Steve DID have a sense of humor. Hmm. He was beginning to fall for him more and more by the minute. (second)   
        Tony wrote back:   
         ;I'd say you're more of a Mr. Sunshine, cap. It's really no big deal. I just had some weird dreams. They were really real. Woke me right up. You?;   
   
Steve: Steve was staring at his paper, pencil in hand. He had just drawn Tony's lips and had gotten lost in thought, staring at them. He wondered at how they...'no! Bad Steve!' he thought to himself, hearing his phone go off. He was glad for the distraction.   
         ;I'd say you're more of a Mr. Sunshine, cap. It's really no big deal. I just had some weird dreams. They were really real. Woke me right up. You?;   
       Steve almost started panicking before realizing that he and Tony couldn't possibly have dreamt about the same thing. That was just absurd. He replied with:   
         ;Same. I had some screwed up stuff going on in my subconscious. I couldn't bring myself to go back to sleep after that second one.;   
       He bit his lip as he reread that message. Too much vulnerability? Nahh..he wanted to let Tony in. Not shut him out.   
   
Tony: Tony was busy thinking of a power source for his iron man when his phone went off again. From Steve:   
            ;Same. I had some screwed up stuff going on in my subconscious. I couldn't bring myself to go back to sleep after that second one.;   
           Tony wondered what Steve's dreams were about. He wanted to ask, but...no, he couldn't. He didn't wanna scare him off so early. Although...Steve said he felt comfortable with Tony, so...  
           ;I know that feeling well, unfortunately. What was it about? If you don't mind my asking.;  
       Tony hit send, then went back to brainstorming nuclear reactors for his device. 

Steve: Steve had just finished one drawing of Tony and was starting another. He looked at the drawing he had just finished and set aside. It was the Tony he had seen in his first dream. He wore a loving expression that for some reason made Steve's face redden. He put it aside again and started on the next one. As he was doing the outline, his phone went off.   
       ;I know that feeling well, unfortunately. What was it about? If you don't mind my asking.;   
       Steve hesitated. No, he didn't mind...he just didn't know what to tell Tony. He knew he couldn't tell him that he had dreamt about them holding hands. Guys don't tell other guys about dreams like that. Especially when both parties are straight...or...whatever Steve was. He knew Tony was straight and wouldn't freak him out with his confusion. He thought long and hard about what to say to Tony. He didn't wanna screw things up already. He finally typed:   
         ;Naahh, I don't mind. I told you, I feel comfortable with you for some reason. Don't ask me why though because honestly I have no clue how I would go about answering that. Haha. It was about my old school. Like another flashback. Sorta.;  
       He hit send. Steve sat back in his chair and looked around his room. He saw moonlight coming in through his curtains and walked over to his windows. He sat there and stared at the moon, thinking about Tony. He couldn't believe that they'd only met today. Well..yesterday. But still. In that short amount of time..Tony had earned Steve's complete trust. Somehow. Steve's mind started to wander. He thought of Tony's hair, his face, his EYES...those eyes that Steve had only gotten a peek of for less than 5 minutes. He longed for another look at Tony's eyes. 'Wait a minute, Rogers. When the hell did you turn into a teenage girl?' he thought to himself, shaking his head to dispel the thought. He went back to his seat, starting on Tony's shoulders as he started to slowly smile. 

Tony: Tony got up, frustrated. He couldn't figure out how to make his power source. He'd need undiscovered energy and he just...his head hurt. He walked into his room to look out his window once more.   
         So he had decided that yes, he really was gay. And yes, he was gay for Steve, the new-kid/star quarterback/all-around perfect person. Tony Stark...average/snarky/nerdy/GAY Tony Stark had fallen for Mr. America for God's sake. He knew he was in for it the minute he laid eyes on Steve.   
       That's not to say he had fallen for Steve based totally on his looks. Well, so far it was basically based on his looks. He didn't know the kid! He made up his mind to get to know him better this week. And NOT shut him out. And NOT give up his secret. He couldn't. He wasn't ready for that yet.   
      Tony felt bad that he couldn't bring himself to tell Bruce or Clint. Clint, who he'd known since forever. Bruce, who he knew wouldn't judge him, whatsoever. And yet...it was different coming out to guys. What if they were afraid of him? Afraid he'd go after them? Afraid he'd be gay for them too? Tony couldn't bear to lose them..he really couldn't. He figured they'd find out eventually. Whenever the time was right and all that shit.   
      Tony heard his phone go off. He read:   
        ;Naahh, I don't mind. I told you, I feel comfortable with you for some reason. Don't ask me why though because honestly I have no clue how I would go about answering that. Haha. It was about my old school. Like another flashback. Sorta.;  
      He thought about that. Steve really, really trusted him. He felt /comfortable/ with him. What was Tony supposed to do with that, other than return the trust? Nothing. But for Tony Stark...trusting people isn't easy. It takes years. But yet...he feels like he already trusts Steve. Not enough to come out to him. Yet. But.. He put all thoughts on pause and typed back:   
       ;Well, thanks for trusting me. I feel like I trust you (maybe) a lot already. Don't take offense to that. That's not how I meant it. Jesus, Stark. Say it right. I mean..it takes a while to get through to me, but yet I feel I already trust you a lot. Why is that so hard to get out for me? Damn sappy shit. Anyway. Your old school? ANOTHER flashback? Damn, Rogers. Either you had it really good there or really fucking horrible, if you keep reliving it. Anything you need to get out? I'll listen.;   
      Tony hit send, then flopped down on his bed once again.   
      "JARVIS, pick out an outfit for tomorrow. Errrrr...today. Thanks."  
      "As you wish, Master Stark."  he heard, then saw robotic arms descending from his closet ceiling. He noticed one was moving rather jerkily, and went to his lab. He grabbed some tools, and commanded JARVIS to pause for a moment. He fixed the shorted circuit, then watched once again as his robot butler picked his clothes out for him, no hassle. It was times like these where Tony enjoyed being himself. 

Steve: Steve was laying on his back. He had taken a break from his drawing. His thoughts kept leading to unhealthy directions each time he'd pick up his pencil again, and his brain hurt to dwell on them. Even though he really wished he could dwell on them. 'No, Steve...' he'd tell himself each time, then watch it happen again. He sighed. He heard his phone go off and grabbed it. He held it above his head as he opened his messages.   
        /PLUNK!/   
       "OWWW REALLY?!" he said in a semi-loud voice as his phone fell from his hands and smacked into his face. 'Damn technology...' he thought to himself, hoping his parents wouldn't wake up. He was sure they'd be worried if they came in and found him obsessively drawing another boy at 4:30 in the morning. He sighed, and read:   
       ;Well, thanks for trusting me. I feel like I trust you (maybe) a lot already. Don't take offense to that. That's not how I meant it. Jesus, Stark. Say it right. I mean..it takes a while to get through to me, but yet I feel I already trust you a lot. Why is that so hard to get out for me? Damn sappy shit. Anyway. Your old school? ANOTHER flashback? Damn, Rogers. Either you had it really good there or really fucking horrible, if you keep reliving it. Anything you need to get out? I'll listen.;   
      Steve smirked at Tony's snark. Then, he gave a bitter smile at the last part. Really good? No. The opposite. He didn't know if he wanted to show that side of him to anyone yet though. If he did, you could bet your bollocks it'd be Tony. He was sure of that. But was he ready yet? No...not really. He sighed, then typed out:   
        ;Well, thanks...I think. Haha. You could trust me. In your own time though. No rush. Umm..hey. Could I maybe call you? I just dropped my phone on my face and I'm pretty sure it's gonna bruise. Lol, I'm totally just kidding. Well, about the bruise thing. I'm serious about the calling thing though. Would that be alright?;  
       He stared at his wall as he thought to himself. 'You just wanted to hear his voice again....' taunted that mean little voice again. 'Shut the hell up...' thought Steve, and he waited for Tony's reply. 

Tony: Tony had started into his closet when he heard his phone buzz. He read Steve's reply, and smirked to himself. Then froze. Steve wanted to call him? He felt a flutter in his stomach and sat on his bed. He replied a "Yes" and waited for the call. He stared at his phone until it lit up, took a deep breath, then answered.   
       "Hello?"  
       "Hi...Tony. Sorry for waking you up. I just..didn't know who else, I...sorry." Tony felt something stirring when he heard Steve's morning voice. Something about it was extremely attractive to him.   
       "Don't worry about it, how's your face?" he heard Steve chuckle.   
       "My face is fine, thanks.." awkward silence.  
       "So..do you wanna talk about about your dreams, or..." Tony trailed off awkwardly.  
       "Do you mind? I'm sorry.."  
       "I told you, Steve. I don't mind. Stop being sorry. If I minded I obviously wouldn't have answered the phone."  
         Nervous laughter. "Hah, I..I guess you're right. Okay, well. The first one was just really messed up. Like a bad acid trip. And the second one was about my old school, like I said."   
       "Bad acid trip? Jesus, Rogers. Didn't know you were like that. And your old school...that was in Brooklyn, right?"  
        He heard Steve laugh a little. "Yeah, me either. Learn something new everyday. And yup, I hail from good old Brooklyn. I moved here a few years ago, after I...dropped out." Tony heard Steve's voice crack, and wondered what was up with that.   
        "Dropped out? Did something happen?" Tony heard himself asking.   
        "I...had some disagreements with some of the kids. I wasn't exactly Mr. Popular back then. Nor am I now.  But back then, I really wasn't. I..decided to take a break from public schooling, and then transferred here this year, obviously."  
       Tony thought about that. Steve hadn't been Mr. America/Perfect/Amazing back in the day? He seemed like such a natural..how could anyone NOT like this guy?  
       "How could anyone NOT like you, Steve?"  
       "Well, you didn't at first."   
       Tony hesitated. Jesus Christ. What would he say to that?   
      "I...it's complicated."   
      "Okay..? Tony..anything YOU need to talk about?" Steve sounded worried now.   
      "I..no, no. I'm okay." Tony heard rustling on the other end. "Rogers, you better have fucking pants on if we're talking on the phone. If not, that's just messed up." Tony tried not to dwell on that thought, and failed miserably.   
       "I...what?! I have pants on! Why wouldn't I?! I was picking out a shirt for today! Geez, Tony!" Steve rambled out, his voice cracking.   
       Tony just about lost it. Steve was so..innocent. Then he got serious. 'How was he so innocent? I mean..he's a 16 year old guy. How is he NOT thinking like that? I mean..what's the deal there?' Tony thought to himself, then realized he was still on the phone.   
     "Tony? Tony, you there? Tony, I swear I have pants on...Tony?" Tony stifled another chuckle, and composed himself.   
       "Sorry, I...Steve, you're so damn innocent. How?! What's your secret? Geez."  
       "Innocent? I..I don't know. I just am I guess."   
       "I see. Well..." Tony looked at the clock, "It's almost 5. I should probably go get ready. Let me know when you're ready for me to come get you."  
        "Okay, me too. Thanks, Tony. For...everything. I really appreciate it a lot. See you."  
       Tony felt himself smiling. "You're welcome. Don't worry about it. Anytime, man. I'm here. See you." and he hung up the phone. 


	6. Homecoming Games and Secret Boyfriends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The biggest game of the season can also bring the biggest secrets.

Tony walked back into his closet, to see what Jarvis picked. A red t-shirt, gold blazer, khakis, and red chucks again.   
     "Jarvis, you really like those colors, huh?"   
     "I think they compliment you, Master Stark."  
      "Well thanks, man. Now if you'll excuse me.."  
      "Of course, Master Stark."  
      Tony changed into his clothes, then headed to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror, and spent a whole 40 minutes on his hair. He finished, then walked back into his room.   
       He pushed a button on his wall and watched as a secret door opened up. He walked inside and flicked the lights on, door closing as he did so. He looked around, and smiled to himself.   
       This was his sunglasses closet. Floor to ceiling shelves were filled with every designer brand, style, and color of sunglasses imaginable. They were Tony's lifesavers when it came to things that involved showing emotion. He picked a pair of simple, black Ray-Bans before walking out and closing the door behind him. He texted Pepper, Bruce, and Clint as he grabbed his keys.   
       ;On my way guys.;  
       He headed out to his garage. Howard had his own garage, Maria had her own garage, and Tony had his own garage. Each had at least 3 cars inhabiting it. Each was either a limited edition or one not released to the public. Howard prided in his family's good taste in cars, mainly because he picked them out.  
       Tony walked over to the canary yellow Porsche 911 Turbo, and got in. He sped off to Clint's house, and barely listened as Clint jabbered on. He made his way to Bruce's house next, speeding down the road again. 

Steve: Steve threw clothes on after he hung up. He walked to the mirror, and stood there for a good 10 minutes just thinking. What was going on? Steve had never felt this way about anyone, but..Peggy. He didn't know what he was feeling. He stared at his reflection, wondering what people would think when they found out he was..no. He didn't know for sure what he was, but..he felt like he knew. He shook his head and walked over to his desk.   
      He counted 15 new drawings of Tony. Damn. He was..obsessed? He didn't know what word he could use for this feeling. He thought of one, but fought it down as it tried to rise again.   
       He heard a car, and looked outside. He saw a sleek yellow car, just in the driveway. 'Tony...' he thought to himself, and headed outside.   
      He got in next to Pepper, and they sped off.   
~~~~~~~A month later~~~~~~~~

Tony: A month had passed since he'd met Steve, and they had hung out nonstop since. Tony had started inviting him to their movie nights, and they all got along well. Tony could feel himself falling in love with Steve, falling so much in love with him that it hurt. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't tell him. On those movie nights, Steve and Tony would sit shoulder-to-shoulder, and once, Tony had fallen asleep on Steve. Tony of course apologized profusely, but Steve insisted he didn't mind one bit.   
     Pepper kept telling Tony to go for it. Tony still had yet to come out to Bruce and Clint. He was still so afraid to do so. What if they thought it was weird? He couldn't do it. But...they were his best friends, and he wanted them to know. So one Friday night, he called them to come over for a special movie night. He called Pepper last minute, and decided that he needed the moral support. He paced until they all arrived, then paced as they watched, worried expressions on their faces.   
         "Tony...? What's going on, man?" Clint said, worriedly looking at his best friend.   
         Tony sighed. "Guys...I'm..."   
         "You're....?" Bruce coaxed.   
         "I'm...gay."  
         Silence filled the room.  
        Tony's face fell. Pepper walked over and put her arms around him, and then was followed by Bruce and Clint.   
          "You guys aren't afraid to be around me now? After I just told you I like guys? You aren't skeeved out at all?" Tony said in astonishment. He couldn't believe this. Everything went better than expected.   
         "Tony..you're our friend. We love you no matter what. Nothing will change that." Bruce said, and Clint seconded.   
       "But Tony..I know my ass may be fabulous. But don't be sneaking any grabs in. That's Nat's property." Clint said, jokingly, and everyone laughed. They all sat down to watch the movie that Pepper had picked ((another chick flick)) and all was well. Pepper fell asleep on Bruce again, as was the habit now. Tony could tell Bruce just loved it. Apparently Pepper did too, if she kept doing it. He smiled. He was glad they were happy.   
      Tony thought about this. If Bruce and Clint weren't weirded out by this..what about Steve? And Loki? And Nat, and Thor? What about everyone? He wasn't ready to tell THAT many people, but...Steve. Tony felt so comfortable with him, he felt he could tell him everything. But this was different. What would Steve think? Would he know that Tony wanted him? He didn't know. Tony didn't know at all. He wished he knew.      
      Tony had confessed his feelings for Steve halfway through the movie. Everyone agreed Tony should go for it, even though he knew Steve was 100% straight. They said it'd be cute. Tony didn't know about cute, but..he wanted Steve. A lot. He couldn't believe how much he wanted Steve. He'd never wanted anything more.   
        
Steve: A month had passed, and Steve couldn't be happier. Steve and Tony had grown infinitely closer over the days and Steve had grown infinitely more fond of the small genius. Steve was coming to terms with the fact that he was...different. He still wouldn't admit that word. He couldn't. It was just too much for him now. He wanted Tony. He wanted him so much. He had never wanted anyone more, other than Peggy. He had never felt this way for anyone other than Peggy. He couldn't believe this. He was..different. So different. He didn't tell anyone. He couldn't. He would tell Tony, but...he knew he'd scare him off, and couldn't bear to have that. He decided to text Pepper, and tell her. He had to get it out, or he'd just about go insane. Hands shaking, he typed out:   
          ;Hey, Pep...think I could talk to you about something?;  
        He paced his room. He read:   
        ;Of course, Steve. What is it?;  
        He drew a shaky breath.   
        ;Pepper, I...I'm different.;   
        He felt sick. He couldn't do this.   
        ;Different..how?;  
        He sat with his head in his hands and fought back nausea.   
        ;I'm...Pepper...I...don't see...certain people in the way I'm supposed to.;   
         He didn't know how else to explain it, without labeling himself.   
       ;Certain people, as in....?;  
       How could he explain this?  
       ;Girls..;  
       He couldn't, he didn't know how.   
       ;Okay, well...what way are you "supposed" to?;  
        He..he didn't know. He had only felt it once.   
        ;I'm "supposed" to like them. In "that" way.;  
         He hoped she'd understand what he was getting at. He knew she probably would though.   
         ;You're not "supposed" to to anything. You do what you think is right. So you're saying you don't like girls?;  
      She understood. He knew it.  
        ;Right, well. No. No I don't.;  
     He didn't know how to reply to that first part..he couldn't express how grateful he was for her.   
        ;So...do you like boys then?;   
        Here goes. Steve felt himself descending into full panic attack mode, but calmed himself out of it.   
        ;Yes...;  
        There. He'd said it. He was..different. Now she knew, now he couldn't take it back. It was out.   
        ;Oh. Okay. Well, Steve..does anyone else know?;  
        He couldn't believe how nonchalantly she was handling this.   
        ;No. No one else. You're the first I told.;  
        Steve felt his hands still shaking.  
        ;Well..thanks for telling me first. I promise you your secret is safe as long as you want it to be. I won't tell ANYONE. And Steve? Don't you worry about it. There's nothing wrong with it. At all. Be happy :) ;   
      Steve felt hot tears of happiness making their way down his cheeks. He couldn't believe it. Everything went better than he'd thought. He hadn't scared her off. He decided he'd tell Tony soon enough. He just hoped he'd get the same reaction.  

Tony: It was the night of the big homecoming football game, and Tony  was sitting in the bandstand trying to support Steve. Sporting a blue and white t-shirt with a huge number 64 under his uniform, he was the epitome of school spirit. He couldn't believe himself. The things he'd do for this kid.   
      He sat in the stands with Pepper and Bruce. Clint and Nat were in front of them, and Loki was to between Pepper and Nat. He wasn't even really on a seat. Just on the aisle way. He loved to be between those two. They babied him.   
      Tony watched Steve the entire time. He wouldn't let his eyes stray. He watched as Steve passed and passed, and wondered why he didn't score any touchdowns of his own. Suddenly, Tony froze. He saw Steve look up to the stands, find where they were sitting, and wave. Tony saw that Steve was wearing the most breathtaking smile he'd ever seen. Tony waved back, mesmerized, as Pepper, Bruce, and Clint all smiled at the exchange.   
      Minutes kept going by as the crew all froze in the stands. It felt like it was in the 40's. This was the coldest night they'd had since winter. They all huddled together for warmth, as the game seemed to stretch on forever.   
      Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, it was ticking down to the last 5 minutes of the game. They needed one more touchdown to win, and they were winding up for the kick. Tony watched in amazement as Steve ran that ball down the field and scored a touchdown, winning the game! They all stood on their seats and cheered till their voices were hoarse. Tony ran down the bleachers and onto the field, straight to Steve. He jumped into a huge, sweaty hug before he could stop himself. He pulled away, before looking up at Steve.   
      He saw Steve's baby blue eyes twinkling with pure joy. He felt such an intensity coming from them that he had to look away, for fear of burning up on the spot. He felt very warm, suddenly. Everything was forgotten but Steve. He stepped back.   
      "I...sorry. Good game. Got caught up." Tony said, chuckling sheepishly.   
      "Thanks!! Don't worry about it, I...come here." he watched as something crossed Steve's perfect features. Tony felt his stomach flutter as Steve grabbed his hand and led him to the bleachers. They went underneath them, and Tony's heart started to race. What was happening...?   
       Steve walked over to an area that was hidden from everything, and stood there. He was looking uncharacteristically nervous, and Tony approached him.   
       "Steve? What's wrong?"  
       "I..Tony..I.." he sighed, walking into the shadows a little more.   
       "I can't do this. I just..I can't. You'll hate me. What am I...I can't.." Tony heard Steve mumbling to himself as he kicked rocks with his muddy cleats.   
       "Can't do what...? Steve, I'm confused..." Tony felt his heart clenching. He was gonna tell him to back off, to get out of his life. He could tell Tony had a crush. He was freaked out. Tony stepped closer.  
       "Steve..did I do something? I mean...I'm sorry, if I did anything. I really am." Tony was inches away from him now. Steve turned around at that moment, that intensity back in his eyes. Tony felt his cheeks reddening.  
         "Steve..what's going on? Steve? Ste-" Tony was stopped midsentence as his mouth became otherwise occupied.   
         Tony felt Steve kiss him full-on the mouth, and felt his eyes snap open. He couldn't believe what was happening. This was everything he'd ever wanted since he'd met him, and..then it was over.   
      Tony felt Steve break away, and looked up to see what looked like a deer in the headlights.   
      "I...oh my god..Tony..I'm sorry...I can't believe I just..oh my god..." Steve walked away, back to the shadows.   
      "Steve, I...I've been wanting to do that since the day we met. Why are you sorry?" Tony felt himself smiling like a complete goof.   
        Steve turned around to look at Tony. "You...have?" Tony saw Steve smile slightly, then walk back over. "I didn't...really?" his smile then grew even more.   
      "Yes..I told Pepper about it after school that day. I've wanted nothing more than to do that for over a month. How long have you...?"  
      "Known I was...gay?" Tony thought he saw Steve flinch on that word.   
       "Yes. How long?"  
       "Well..I had a suspicion of it on the first day, but it's grown since then. I told Pepper too. Man, she's known the whole time!" they both started to laugh until they had to hold onto each other for support.   
        "So..what does this mean?" Steve finally asked.   
        "I...don't know. I don't. Are we boyfriends now, or...what?" Tony said, calming himself.   
        "Boyfriends...hmm. Are we?"  
       "That's up to you...you have more of a reputation to uphold than I do." Tony said, suddenly feeling sad. What if Steve couldn't risk that?   
        "Tony, I...I've told you." Steve took Tony's hands in his, and Tony felt himself reddening again. "I don't /care/ about reputation. This is what I really want, now. I'm sure of it." Steve stepped closer, smiling. Tony felt himself smile back, then step up for another kiss. He felt himself melting into Steve's huge, sweaty form. He put his arm's around the much taller one's neck and had to stand on his tip-toes to reach. He felt Steve's arms go around his waist, and he scooted even closer. This moment seemed to last forever. He was in complete and total bliss. Nothing else mattered. 

Steve: He had scored the winning touchdown, and now he was kissing Tony. Steve didn't think this night could get any better at this point. He felt himself becoming immersed in the kiss. He had decided it was now or never, and was ecstatic when Tony felt the same way. Steve felt himself holding Tony tighter as they kissed underneath the bleachers. He didn't even feel the cold. He had never felt happier. He couldn't believe this was finally happening, couldn't believe it felt so right. He was completely lost in the moment.   
      "Steve? Steve, are you back here? Steve, is that-OH MY GOODNESS IM SO TERRIBLY SORRY!" Steve heard a familiar voice. Breaking away from the kiss, he looked up to see a familiar face. He felt his heart drop.   
      "P..Peggy? Is that..you?"   
      "Steve...it's me. Oh my goodness how much you've changed! Not in that way, I mean, appearance wise! I mean..Steve." Peggy nervously stammered out.   
       "Peggy, I...what are you doing here?" he couldn't believe this. He thought he'd never see her again.   
      "I heard you were quarterback, and I wanted to pay you a visit..oh, it's been so long...Bucky misses you terribly, he hasn't been the same since you left...I'm sorry, if I'm...interrupting something..or.." Steve looked down to realize he was still holding Tony in his arms, and loosened the grip to only holding one hand. Tony looked up at him confusedly and Steve merely smiled sheepishly.   
        "I..oh. I miss Bucky too. I talk to him sometimes, but..no, you're..you're okay, I..I'm sorry, you just caught me off guard."   
        "I..I'm sorry, you're fine, it's my fault, I...I'll leave you two alone. Steve? Keep in touch. Okay?" Peggy said, smiling sadly.   
       "I'm..sorry. I will, I promise. It was really nice seeing you again..." Steve said, as Peggy walked away.   
       "You too, Steve. Bye.." Steve watched as Peggy disappeared around the bleachers. Steve looked down at Tony who was still confused.   
       "Who did we just mentally scar?" Tony deadpanned. Steve laughed nervously.   
       "That's...Peggy. She goes to my old school. I used to like her..a lot. Not anymore, obviously, cause I have you." Steve smiled, and leaned down to kiss Tony one last time.   
       "As much as I'd LOVE to stay back here and scar other exes of yours...we'd better head back." Tony said with a smile, still holding Steve's hand. They had started to walk when he suddenly stopped.   
      "Steve, are you..are you sure you wanna go out there like this?" he gestured to their intwined fingers.   
       "Maybe we better wait. We haven't even told the crew yet.." Steve said, unsure of himself.   
      "Sounds fair to me. Keep it on the downlow for a little while.." Tony said, dropping Steve's hand. They headed out from their hiding spot and found the group staring at them expectantly. 

Tony: "Hi guys." he said, approaching his friends as they looked at him and Steve suspiciously.   
        "Hi..." Pepper ventured. "Where were you?"   
         "Nowhere. Everywhere. So, here's my idea. Everyone wanna come straight over for movie night?" Tony rushed out, avoiding Pepper's analytical glare.   
        They all agreed.   
        "I have to get cleaned up..." Steve said.   
        "I'll wait for you. The rest of you can just head to my house. Jarvis will let you in. Who's turn is it to pick the movie?"   
        "Mine!" chimed Pepper.   
        "It amazes me how it's always your turn.." Tony said, laughing. "Alright. See you guys when we get there. Pep, make sure it's not TOO cheesy."   
         "No promises!" Pepper said, then followed Bruce to his car. He watched as they smiled at each other awkwardly when they got in, and drove off. Thor had already gotten cleaned up, so he would drop Loki off then head home. Clint drove Nat there, naturally. Tony figured Steve could just get his car tomorrow. Plus, he wanted to talk to him about something before they were back with the group.   
        "Steve..are we going to tell them tonight?"   
        "I...I dunno. Part of me wants to, but...I dunno. Do you want to?"   
       'YES!' Tony thought to himself, but answered, "I don't know. It's up to you. They ALL know about me liking you, so it wouldn't really be any different for me. That's your choice."   
       "Wanna just tell Pepper for now? Even though I'm sure she knows, did you see those daggers she was shooting us? Yikes. If looks could kill..." Steve said, laughing nervously.   
       "Sounds good. Now go get cleaned up. I'll wait in my car." Tony said.  
      "Deal. See ya in a little bit." Steve said with a smile, touching Tony's arm as he walked away. Tony felt his heart flutter. He couldn't believe this was happening. It couldn't actually be true. He walked to his car in a haze. He blasted his AC/DC in an attempt to come back down to earth, but it didn't help. He was jolted out of his trance by a tapping on the passenger side window. He looked over to see Steve outside the door, hopping around.   
       Tony unlocked the door. "Okay, so why are you hopping?"  
        "It's COLD!" Steve said, sliding in the car. He was shivering. Tony reached over instinctively and grabbed his hand. Steve smiled at him. His hands were completely frozen.   
      "Steve, ya know..it'd probably help more if you WORE your jacket rather than carried it.." Tony gestured to the huge letterman in Steve's lap.   
      "I..Tony, I want you to wear my letterman. Ya know, now that you're dating the quarterback and all." Steve smiled, and held out the jacket to Tony.   
       "Steve, I...I couldn't."   
       "Yes you can, I'm getting a new one soon anyway for next season. Please, I really want you to. Please?" he turned the blue of his eyes on Tony. Tony sighed, and obliged.   
        "Christ, Steve...alright. Thank you. I love it, I really do. So, I'm really dating the quarterback, huh?" Tony said with a smile, giving Steve's hand a squeeze before driving off.   
       "Only if you want to be.." Steve said, turning to Tony.   
       "Oh trust me..I want to be. I'd want nothing more." Tony smiled, and leaned in for another kiss, before realizing he was driving. He swerved and almost went off the road as they both broke into laughter.   
      Finally, they pulled into Stark Mansion and Tony put it in drive. He leaned across the seats and kissed Steve once again, in redemption for the almost one a few minutes earlier. They got out and Tony put on the jacket, then stood by Steve.   
       "Man, you're really freezing..come on, let's get in. We can get those huge blankets that you love so much." Tony grabbed Steve's hand and nearly dragged him inside. They headed downstairs and found the gang in their usual formation, all chatting hushedly.       
      "Were they...?"  
      "No...that's impossible."  
      "Maybe.."   
      "We're home! Pep, what did you pick out?" Tony said, stepping in. They all whipped around to look at them. He saw Pepper's eyes narrow as she saw him in the letterman.   
      She rattled off the name of some random chick flick and Tony froze. He realized he was still holding Steve's hand. He dropped it, hoping none of them had seen.   
       Tony saw Nat snuggled up with Clint, Loki in between her and Pepper, and Pepper next to Bruce. Tony grabbed Steve's favorite blanket and wrapped it around his towering frame. He had to jump a little because of the height difference, but he managed. They sat in their usual spot, just a little closer than normal. Not enough to be a giveaway, but close enough to please them.   
      Tony felt himself fall asleep at some point during the movie. He was sure he had crashed on Steve, like usual. He was perfectly content. He felt himself smiling as he drifted off into a deep sleep, curling closer into Steve. 

Steve: Steve sat with their friends, watching some chick flick that Pepper picked out. He could feel Tony's presence next to him. He was hyper-aware. He wanted so badly just to reach out and take his hand again...but didn't. He knew he had to just wait till Tony was ready, but..he wanted to be able to do that. And if he couldn't do it in front of his friends, he couldnt do it in front of anybody.   
      About halfway through the movie, he felt Tony lean over into his lap. He heard his breathing slow, and smiled. Tony had fallen asleep on him, yet again. This time, it was different though. This time, he knew that it wasn't just a fluke. This time he KNEW.   
       "Pssst. Steve. Steve!" he heard someone whisper. He looked up to see Pepper staring daggers again.   
       "What?" he whispered back, so as not to disturb the others.       
       "I swear, if you don't tell me what's going on tonight...." she mimed a blade at her throat. Steve's eyes widened. Geez. Forceful.  
       "Okay, okay!! I'll tell you later! Geez, Pep!" he said, then looked back down at Tony's sleeping form. He had a slight smile on, and just looked so...peaceful. His hair was spiked everywhere, and he was still in the letterman. Steve smiled as Tony curled closer into him, then hesitated before putting one arm around him. He left the other in his lap, so it didn't look TOO suspicious. He could feel Pepper looking at them again, but kept his head forward, figuring he'd talk to her later. They both could.   
      As the movie kept going, Steve felt himself drifting off into sleep of his own. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling, shifting Tony so he was sprawled on his chest, then smiled and sunk into a deep rest. 

Bruce: Bruce sat there, debating whether to make a move or not. He didn't even know if that's what you'd call it, he wasn't smooth or anything. Pepper was inches away from him, and he wanted to just..he didn't know. He didn't know what he'd do. He just hoped that she'd fall asleep on him again, as was usual now. That way, he wasn't initiating it, but he still was getting somewhere.   
       But tonight, she looked alert. Too alert to fall asleep. She kept watching Tony and Steve, and he had to admit that he was too. Tony had come out to them a week prior, and admitted that he liked Steve, and now...they were pretty much on top of each other over there. Tony was wearing Steve's letterman. They had walked in holding hands. Bruce analyzed all of these facts. He wondered what it could mean. He figured they both probably figured out how perfect they were for each other, and just..got together, or whatever it's called. They WERE behind the bleachers for a good amount of time...Nopenopenope. Bruce would NOT think about that. Nope.   
       Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. Pepper was just /SO/ close to him, he couldn't handle it. Before he could think about it, he reached out and put his arm around her. He saw her turn and look at him, almost..blushing? He couldn't tell, it was too dark. But she was smiling, so she obviously didn't have an issue, so...he pulled her closer. She settled in on him, and they sat there for the rest of the movie. Eventually, he felt her breathing slow, as she drifted off to sleep. He smiled, and looked around. Clint and Nat were both asleep. They were sitting like Bruce and Pepper. Loki was curled up between the two girls, as usual. They were such mothers to him. Tony and Steve were now completely entwined, and Bruce sighed. Whatever was going on...he REALLY didn't need the details. At. All. He looked back down at Pepper, then felt himself drifting off into his own slumber. The movie was still playing, but none of them cared. They were all too busy. 


	7. Hey Guys, We Forgot About Homecoming....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang forgets about homecoming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This all happened because I actually forgot to write homecoming or anything leading up to it. So yeah. I forgot JUST as much as they did.

Tony: Tony vaguely felt himself wrapped in something warm and inviting. He rolled over, and tried to stretch. He only got so far before realizing there was something in his hands, and opened his eyes. He saw that he had a hand encased in both of his, then followed that hand up to the wrist then up to the shoulder then saw that it was Steve, who was still sleeping soundly. He smiled, and sat up.  
     Looking around, Tony took in his surroundings. It was still dark, and everyone was asleep. He saw that it was 4:30 am, and laid back down. He fit himself back into Steve's arms, before drifting back into a happy, dreamless sleep.   
\--------------------------------  
\--------------------------------  
        Tony felt himself regaining consciousness yet again, and sat up. Steve was still asleep, as was everyone else, but....Pepper. Pepper was sitting up, still in Bruce's arms. And she was staring right at Tony and Steve. Tony managed a sheepish smile, and prodded Steve.  
       "Steve...Steeeeeeve...Steve? Steve, wake up...waaaake uppppp...STEVE!"   
       "Huh? Wha? What's going on?!" Steve sat up, confused. He looked around. "What's wrong? Tony are you alright?!"  
      "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I won't be if we don't go explain to Pepper what's going on though.." Tony gestured at the very angry ginger sitting across from them. Still staring them down.  
      "Guys. Just /TELL/ me." she said, monotonously. Uh oh.   
      "Lets..let's go talk about it in my room. Deal?" Tony said, standing up.  
      She nodded. Steve looked at Tony confusedly, so Tony grabbed his hand again. "It's this way...be quiet so we don't wake up my mom and dad. Dad is never a happy camper when woken from sleep..." Tony whispered, dragging Steve along.      
      They made their way up the stairs. Pepper was the first to go in and sit down on the bed. That was normal for her. Normally, Tony would go sit next to her, but...now he was dragging Steve, and he felt himself start to blush as he imagined Steve sitting with him on his bed. 'God dammit Tony, no! Jesus Christ. Dirty fucking mind...' he thought to himself, trying to hide the redness of his face, and failing miserably.   
      He walked in and sat down on his bed, trying to ignore the fact that Steve had done the same.     
      "Okay, now. What the /HELL/ is going on?" Pepper asked them, nearly staring into their souls.   
      "Who's talking?" Tony said, turning to Steve. Steve looked back at him, blushing and dumbfounded.   
      "I...you can." Steve stuttered out before blushing and looking down.   
      "One of you just talk. NOW." Pepper said, glaring.  
      "Okay! Jesus, Pep! Me and Steve-O over here..we're kind of a "thing" now. But, you can't tell anyone yet, because it's pretty recent. Happy now?" Tony said, with bitter sarcasm just dripping from every word.   
      Pepper's jaw dropped.   
      "NUH UH. FINALLY?!?!" she was practically jumping around in her seat by this point.   
      "What the hell do you mean "finally"?!" Tony asked, inquisitively.  
      "Everyone can feel the UST in the air around you two. You could practically cut it with a knife." she said, matter-of-factly.   
      "UST?" Steve chimed in. Tony looked at him to see the blush starting to creep up his neck.  
      "Unrelieved Sexual Tension." Pepper said nonchalantly.   
     "Oh. I...oh. It's...oh." Steve said, now hardcore blushing. Tony snickered to himself.  
      "Pep, let's not make the kid spontaneously combust. That's enough dirty lingo for one day." Tony said, still snickering. Steve blushed more, managing a tiny smile. Tony realized he was still holding his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He smiled as he felt one back, then turned to Pepper.   
      "So how long...?" she asked, trailing off.  
      "Since last night after the game."  
      "Oh. When you...when you guys disappeared? I..oh." she said, looking away.   
      "No! Pepper, no...no. Well, yes when we disappeared, but nothing like that happened. Jesus. What's with you and all these thoughts? Keep your goddamn wet dreams to yourself, girl." Tony said, snickering. Pepper smirked and punched him in the arm. They were close enough to be able to joke around with each other about this stuff. And they did. Frequently. Steve just kinda nervously laughed along.   
       "Well, I'm happy for you guys. I won't tell the others, I promise. I'll leave that to you guys. Even though I'm sure they could probably all guess it anyway." Pepper said, standing up. "I'm gonna head back down.." she walked towards the door. "Oh, and Tony?.... I'm willing to bet you're a screamer, so keep it down." she winked coyly and disappeared down the steps.   
       Tony felt himself reddening. He was suddenly really aware of Steve, and looked up at him. They both shared a nervous laugh before looking away again.  
      "So...." Steve said, scratching his head.   
       "Soooo...." Tony said, looking at the ceiling.   
       They looked at each other. Somehow, they realized that being alone in Tony's bedroom is painfully awkward, and they got up. Tony grabbed Steve's hand again, and led him over to the window. They stood there in silence for a few minutes before Steve finally spoke.   
       "Wow. This is a great view... I'd love to draw it someday. It's incredible...." he said, awestruck.   
      "Yeah, you should really see it in the winter...it's even better then.." Tony turned to Steve. He studied his features. He saw his straight, perfect nose. His strong, perfect jaw. His perfect golden blond hair. And those painfully perfect blue eyes. The epitome of Tony's very undoing.   
      Steve must've finally felt Tony's gaze, so he turned to look at him. He smiled slightly as Tony quickly turned away, reddening. Before he knew what was happening, Tony felt Steve's arm going around his shoulder, pulling him in closer. Tony wrapped an arm around Steve's waist, and leaned into his massive form. He smiled to himself as they stood there in silence, nothing (yet everything) being said. 

Pepper: Pepper walked down the steps from Tony's room. She couldn't believe Tony and Steve were finally together. She thought it was adorable, of course, but she didn't know how long she could hold it in for.  She wouldn't spill the beans, she wasn't like that. But it just might kill her if they waited too long.  
      When she got back downstairs, everyone was still asleep but Bruce. He was playing on his phone, and looked up when he heard her walk in. She felt herself blush at his gaze, before realizing that she hadn't made any effort to look presentable. She felt her hair still sticking up in every which way from sleeping, and her face was nasty and she just felt gross. She blushed even more, until she saw Bruce smile slightly.  
      "I'm..I'm sorry. I didn't realize I still look like utter crap. I was talking to Steve and Tony and forgot to make myself look presentable.." she dropped her arms in defeat.   
      "You look fine. All of us look like this, Pep." Bruce said, looking down. She smiled, then tiptoed over everyone's sleeping forms. She sat back down next to Bruce.   
      "Although I really hope you weren't planning on looking like that tonight. To each their own, though." Bruce smirked and nudged her playfully.   
     "Tonight? What's tonight?" Pepper said, her eyebrows knitting together.   
     "Homecoming...?" Bruce said. "Pep, did you really forget something for once?....my God, you did." Bruce said as Pepper felt all the color drain from her face. 'That's TONIGHT?! Oh my god I forgot!' she thought to herself.   
       "That's...oh my god..you're right...that IS tonight...oh my god, I have to pick up my dress from the dry cleaners! I don't even..oh my god, I completely forgot..I mean...oh my god. Bruce, do you have a date?"  
       "I...no. I don't. Why?" Bruce said, looking confused.   
       "Then we should just all go as a huge group, seeing as none of us really have dates..." Pepper said, standing up. She thought she saw Bruce's face fall a little, but couldn't figure out why.   
       "Sounds..okay. Okay. Sounds fine. Where are you going?" Bruce said, looking up at her.   
       "To go remind the..Tony and Steve that it's tonight...!" Pepper said over her shoulder, bolting up the steps. 

Tony: As they stood there, Tony thought about something.   
      "Hey Steve."  
      "Hey Tony."  
     Tony smirked to himself. So he DID have a sense of humor..  
      "Steve."  
       "Tony."   
        "Jesus, Steve. Come here." Tony laughed, grabbing Steve's hand.   
       "Oooh, where we going?" Steve said in a sing-song voice.  
       "Friggin' Narnia, if that lifts your luggage.." Tony said, dragging Steve out of his room. They went into the lab, and Tony dropped his hand. He turned to see Steve staring, wonderstruck, at everything.   
     "Woah..what...what is this?" Steve said in awe.   
      "Well, it's not Narnia.. It's my lab. Where I hide out and do all my nerdy shit. Where I spend a good amount of my time. It's my Stark cave. Though the term 'Narnia' is growing on me, I have to admit. It's very endearing." Tony said, proudly.   
      "It's...wow. It's so...wow." Steve was still mesmerized by the extensive technology filling the room.  
     "You should feel honored, Rogers. This is the fastest anyone's gotten in my lab. It took everyone else a lot more time to get THAT close with me. Although, I didn't really make out with them underneath the bleachers, now did I?" Tony said, nudging Steve playfully.   
      "I...no. No you did not. Or at least I hope you didn't. This is..wow, Tony. This is insane." Steve said, smiling.     
      "Oh I know. This here is Jarvis. He's my personal AI butler. I'm reprogramming him though, well working on it, his attitude is getting to be a little much. He's been around me too much." Steve laughed. "And this here, is a little thing I'd like to call my iron man. It's a suit that is basically like a whole body weapon. See, I was working on the dual thrusters, but my attempts on nuclear fis-" Tony was cut off by the sound of footsteps bolting upstairs.   
      "TONY! STEEEVE!" they heard Pepper  whisper-yelling from the hall. They heard her run in his room and call out to them again, before she ran into the lab, stopping dead in her tracks.   
     "I...oh. Tony, you sure opened up pretty quickly. It took me almost a year to get into here. Lucky Steve." she said, breathless. She cocked an eyebrow. "Anyway. Guys..tonight is homecoming."   
       Tony felt a sinking in his gut.  
      "FUUUUUUCK. Fuck. Are you...fuck. That's tonight. Goddammit...okay. I..okay. Fuuuuck..." Tony said, running his hands through his hair.   
     Steve looked at him nervously. "Tony, are you alright?"   
     "I...no. Steve..what are we gonna do?"   
     "I already arranged for us to all go in a group..if that's alright with you guys." Pepper chimed in nervously.  
      "That's perfect. Pepper, if I wasn't gay, I'd love you. Thank you so much for being the absolute fucking genius that you are..." Tony said, pacing. Thoughts were racing though his head. What would he wear? Should he match Steve? No, that'd be obvious. No. Would they all match? No, that would be too short of notice..okay, okay. He felt a plan coming together. Okay. Tony Stark was back in control.   
      "Okay, Pep. I want you to inform the others. Then, I want you to go get Brucey ready. We know how good he is at that. He'll need your help. Nat will take care of Clint, not that he'll need it. He'll probably be taking care of her, for God's sake. Loki...Pep, if Loki needs help, help him. Steve. Do you need help?" Pepper nodded along to her tasks. Tony knew she could handle all of them. She was a planner by nature, she loved it. She loved control. Tony turned to Steve. He was looking very much like a deer in headlights at the moment, and that worried Tony.   
       "I...well, I've never really been to a dance, so..." he trailed off, looking to the ground nervously.   
       "Okay, okay. Steve, I'll take care of you. Wanna get ready here or your place?" Tony closed his eyes, calculating the most efficient way to do this. Then remembered something.   
     "Fuck, Steve. Do you have something to wear?" Tony asked, looking at Steve.   
     "I...no. I forgot about it.." Steve said, sheepishly.   
     "Alright, come on. Get to the car. We're going shopping. Pep...are you coming? No, stay here. I think I can handle matching. Maybe. I..maybe. I'll let you know. Let the others know what's going on." Tony said over his shoulder. He walked into his room, grabbed his keys, then back to the lab. He grabbed Steve's hand, and dragged him downstairs. He went out to his garage, got in the Porsche ((it was the fastest)), and backed out.   
      "Tony, I left my wallet at home.." Steve said, as Tony pulled out. "Can you drop me by there to pick it up?"   
     "Dude, Steve. You're now dating the son of a billionaire. I've got you covered. Don't worry about it." Tony said, turning on some AC/DC.   
     "Tony, I'll pay you back. I feel bad." Steve said, looking over at Tony.   
    "Shut up. You're not paying me back. Don't go there. Just don't worry about it. Now, are you opposed to taking the back roads?"   
     "The back roads? I..no, why?"   
     "Just curious." Tony pulled onto a deserted country road.  
    "Why back roads?" Steve asked in confusion.  
     "So I can do this.." Tony said, stomping on the gas till the pedal touched the floor. They both flung back in their seats, and Steve screamed.   
       "OH MY GOD TONY YOU'RE GONNA GET US KILLED! TOOOOONY! STOOOOOOOPPPP!!!!" Steve grabbed onto the door for dear life. Tony laughed maniacally as he sped on. He took a hand off the wheel to blast the music, and snickered as Steve screamed more at the sight of him letting go. Tony absolutely loved speeding.   
     Finally, they started to decelerate as the end of the road approached. Steve's face remained with an expression of pure terror. Tony was still laughing as they rolled to a stop at the stop sign.   
      "Jesus...Christ. Tony...what..the..hell...is wrong..with you?!" Steve said, trying to breathe normally.   
     "Rogers, you should've seem your face! Don't worry, it's always a surprise the first time. Pepper, Clint, and Bruce all had to be broken in. And Loki. Although he thought it was fun. The rest..not so much. Anyway, how was that?"  
     "That...you've done that more than once?!" Steve said, now looking worried.  
     "Yes...?" Tony said, looking confused.  
     "Tony Stark, you are the most complex person I've ever met...you're gonna get yourself killed, you idiot!" Steve punched Tony lightly in the arm.   
     "Not really that complex. I bet I could sum myself up in under 5 words." Tony said, pulling onto the highway at normal speed.   
     "Oh yeah? And what would those be?" Steve said, settling back into the seat, but keeping his grip on the door, just in case.   
     "Hmm...genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. There, I did it in 4." Tony said, smirking.  
     "Tony...I will never understand you. But that's okay. Some things aren't meant to be understood." Steve smiled, reaching over to Tony and taking his hand. Tony blushed beet red.   
      "Christ, Steve. You're such a cheeseball.." Tony said, snickering. Then they both were laughing. They laughed the rest of the ride, only coming to when they pulled into the mall.   
    "We're heeeeere..." Tony said, pulling into a spot. "Okay, well. Let's go to Macy's first. They have some of the designer brands." Tony said, locking the car and walking towards the entrance. Steve followed behind.   
     "Designer? Tony, I really don't need designer, it's only for one night..really, I don't."   
       "Steve. Shhh. You're with me, you deal with the consequences." Tony said, dragging Steve along once again. Steve sighed, but didn't put up a fight, so Tony counted that one as a success on his part. Score.   
     They headed up to the men's department, and browsed dress shirts and ties for a good while. Finally, they decided on a pale blue shirt with a red tie and black pants. All the most expensive brands, of course. To Steve's disapproval.   
       "Tony, I'm paying you back." Steve protested, on the way out to the car.   
       "No you're not." Tony said, not even looking over his shoulder.    
       "Tony...yes."   
       "Steve...no."     
       Steve sighed, getting into the car.   
     "Whatever, Stark. I'm paying you back, somehow. So where are we going now?"   
       "Well, how's about I drop you off home so you can brief Mama Rogers on the plans for today, then you be at my place around 4?" Tony said, pulling out.   
       "Ross." Steve said, looking out the window.   
       "What?"   
       "Ross, not Rogers." Steve said.   
      "But you're..Rogers." Tony said in a confused voice.   
       "Yeah, I...she's my foster mom. I'm Rogers still. My parents died in a plane crash when I was real little." Steve said, quietly.   
        "Oh, I...I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't know, Steve. I'm sorry..." Tony said, trailing off awkwardly.   
      "It's alright, you're right. You didn't know. Don't worry about it." Steve smiled, and took Tony's hand again.  
Tony smiled, and reached that country road again. Soon enough, that sweet smile turned devilish as Tony stomped on the gas once again and Steve screamed bloody murder. Tony laughed as he sped the length of the road, then slowed. He made his way to Steve's house, dropped him off, then headed back to his own house. He still had that smile on his face as he pulled back into his own driveway and garage.   
    
Steve: Even as Steve walked through his front door, he still felt his heart racing from Tony's maniac Speed Racer-type driving.  
      "Mooom?" Steve called, wandering through the halls.   
      "In here!" Stacey called from the kitchen. Steve walked in to find her elbows deep in a bowl of...meatloaf? Steve couldn't tell.   
        "Stevie, who took you home?" Stacey asked, looking over her shoulder at her son.   
         "I...a friend." Steve said, feeling his face reddening. He walked over to the fridge in an attempt to cool his face, then realized that he was really hungry. He hadn't eaten since last night. He grabbed an apple and walked over to where Stacey was standing, and sat in a chair.   
       "A friend?"  
       "Yep." Steve said, paying more attention to his apple than his mother.   
         "Thor?" Stacey asked, still prying.   
         "No.." Steve said, taking a huge bite of his apple.   
         "No?" Stacey asked, looking up.   
         "Nope." Steve said, finishing off the apple. He was starving.   
        "Oh. Who then?" Stacey asked, trying to mask the suspicion in her voice, and failing terribly.   
        "Oh, ya know...kid in my grade." Steve said, getting up to throw away his apple.   
         "Oh. What's their name?"   
          Steve sighed. Stacey should be a police investigator. She always knew how to get the news out of him.   
           "Tony."  
           "Oh, that's nice. Tony who?"  
           "Tony Stark."   
           Stacey looked up. "You mean...is he the son of that billionaire weapons maker? What's his name...Howard! Is he Howard's son?"   
            "Yup." Steve said, getting ready to leave the room. And this conversation.   
             "Oh. Well. I didn't know you two were friends." Stacey said, looking away.   
              'We aren't...' Steve thought. 'BOYfriends.....' but then felt himself blushing, and dismissed the thought.   
            "Yup.." said Steve. "Anyway, I'm going back to his house at 4, so we can get ready for homecoming."   
          "Oh my god, that's right! Homecoming is tonight! Oh, Stevie...your first dance! Wait..why are you two getting ready /together/?" Stacey said, eyes narrowing.  
          'Shit..' thought Steve to himself.   
         "Because I've never been to a dance before, Mom. Tony's gonna help me. Our other friends are going to be there too, so don't worry. Nothing will happen." Steve said, edging closer and closer to the door.   
        Stacey got a confused look. "Well seeing as Tony's not a girl, that's not really what I was worried about, but...okay. Thanks for reassuring me, I guess? Steven, are you okay? Is there something you need to tell me?"   
       Steve mentally cursed himself to the deepest pit of Hell. He was gonna blow their cover faster than anything. 'Dammit Rogers...just shut your mouth!' Steve thought to himself angrily.   
        "Nope Mom nothing's wrong thanksMomgottagobye!" and Steve rushed up to his room. He shut the door behind him, and grabbed his phone. He dialed Tony's number, and waited for an answer.      
       "Jesus, Steve. Couldn't get enough of me, huh?" he could hear the smirk in Tony's voice.   
      Steve forced out a nervous laugh. "Guess not, hah..so..my mom just put me through the Spanish Inquisition and I'm pretty sure she suspects something now. I didn't tell her though, so...ya."  
       "Well. And I thought Pepper would be the first to pop."  
       "So did I...but I started babbling and just...UGH. She seemed suspicious when I told her we'd get ready together and so I said something along the lines of "There will be others there, so nothing will happen." and then realized what I said and just UGH-wait, why the hell are you laughing?!" Steve stopped short when he heard Tony chuckling on the other end.   
      "I'm...I'm sorry." Tony choked out between laughs. "You just...you're just so...hopelessly innocent..." Tony started laughing even harder now. Steve blushed.   
      "I...NUH UH! I am not! Ugh. Stark." Steve said angrily.   
       "Rogers." Tony said, recovering a bit.   
      "I'll see you at 4..." Steve said, feeling himself smiling again.   
       "See you at 4." Tony said, and Steve heard the phone click OFF.   
      He sighed. Tony would be the death of him.   
     Then he thought about this. When would he..come out to his parents? When could he? And his friends, well, the rest of them? He didn't like keeping such a huge secret..well, secret, but he felt he had to. Not because of Tony. He wasn't embarrassed to be dating Tony. At all. He just..there was a little cowardly part of him that deep down felt utterly terrified whenever he thought about telling. He didn't want the bullying to pick up again here. Not when he had finally gotten away from it. 

Pepper: After Tony gave her orders, she took off down the steps and told the others what was going down. Clint and Natasha offered to take care of each other's outfits. They'd go to their houses to get all their stuff, then be back here by 4. Pepper would take care of Bruce.   
      "Uh, Pep? Sorry to interrupt your rapid planning, but...I need something to wear." Bruce said sheepishly.   
      "Okay, I'll go with you in 5 minutes." Pepper quickly recalculated everything. "Loki, do you have something to wear?" she looked at the small boy.   
      "I..no." he said, quietly.   
      "Okay you're coming too. Let me just go get my keys." Pepper dashed off to her bag and grabbed her car keys. She motioned for the boys to follow her and walked out the door. She made her way to her pale blue Jetta and got in. Bruce got shotgun, and Loki sat in the backseat, and she drove off.   
       After about 25 minutes, they were on their way back to the car. Bruce had gotten a pale purple dress shirt, and insisted he had pants and shoes. He had gotten a purple tie to go with it. Loki had gotten a dark green dress shirt with a shimmery gold tie. He also insisted about the pants and shoes, so Pepper just went with it.   
     "Okay, so. Loki..am I dropping you off home?" she said, getting in the car.   
      "Yeah, can I just run in and get my stuff then come back out?"   
      "That works. Bruce?" she turned to look at him, and they made awkward eye contact before looking away. She blushed.   
      "Yeah, just drop me off. Or...no, crap, my car is still at Tony's. Okay, well..could you wait outside for me to just grab my stuff?" Bruce asked sheepishly.   
       "That's fine, you two will just have to wait out here for me to get my stuff too. Deal?" Pepper asked, driving away.   
      "Sounds good." both boys answered, and they set off.   
       She went to Loki's first, and waited outside in the massive driveway for the small boy to come back out. The car was filled with a huge awkward silence.   
      "Did anybody ask you?" Bruce piped up, voice cracking.   
      "Ask me what?" Pepper said, jarred out of her trance.   
       "To homecoming." Bruce said, still staring straight ahead.   
       Pepper looked down. "I...no. No one asked me..no one really ever has." Pepper felt Bruce's gaze on her, then looked up. He opened his mouth to say something, then looked like he changed his mind.   
      "Oh. I...oh. Would...oh. Well...never?" he asked, stumbling over his words.   
      "Never. For any dance. Not just homecoming.." Pepper said sadly.   
      "Well..I don't see why not. I mean..I'd ask you, if we weren't all going in a group or whatever, but..you wouldn't wanna go with me anyway, so...oh look, Loki's done!" Bruce said, looking as if each word was so painfully awkward for him that it physically hurt. Pepper looked at the wheel confusedly. What just happened? She put it out of her mind as they drove off to Bruce's house and waited for him to be done.  
       Then they headed to Pepper's house, and she ran up to her room. She grabbed all of her supplies (hair curler, some makeup, accessories) and headed back out to the car. She drove to the dry cleaners and pick up her dress, then they all went back to Tony's to get ready. 

Tony: Tony went into his room when he got home and waited for the others. He hated dances. Absolutely hated. He didn't really dance, he was flustered easily, and they were just generally not fun for him. He always put up with them for his friends though. They (aside from Clint) usually all just sat awkwardly and talked the whole time. None of them were really ones to be on the floor.   
      "Tony! We're back!" he heard Pepper coming up the steps. She walked in, followed by Bruce and Loki.   
      "Who are you working on first?" Tony asked, walking over to them.   
      "Hm...I'll get ready last. I guess...alright, Loki, come on. I'll take care of you first." she led the small boy into Tony's bathroom.   
      "Pepper, don't hurt him!" Tony called, smirking. He laughed when he saw Loki's eyes widen in fear before disappearing around the doorway. Tony looked at Bruce, who was pacing.   
      "Bruce. You look like you're having a mental breakdown over there. What's going on?" Tony asked, with a hint of concern. His snark didn't come out ALL the time, after all.   
       "I kinda am." Bruce laughed bitterly. "I like her so much I can't even take it...and she doesn't even know. I'm just plain, quiet, nerdy, awkward Bruce. FRIEND Bruce. Plain old FRIEND Bruce. I want to make a move, or whatever it's even called now, I just...can't. I've tried, Tony, believe me, I have..I just can't though. It's getting to me. It's driving me insane. It's eating away at me. I just want her so badly. She's like my undoing. I'm like a ticking time bomb. I don't know how long I can last before I blow up with this..this infatuation and scare her off. I just..I can't handle it anymore. Tony...HOW do you get people?" Bruce's voice was cracking, and it almost looked as if he had tears in his eyes. Tony felt himself closing off. He couldn't deal with crying. It terrified him. He walked over to where Bruce was trying to compose himself.   
       "It's..it's okay, man. Just..just tell her. Okay? I promise it'll be alright. Just...you gotta tell her. Or you're right. You WILL explode. You know how you get when you hold stuff in. It's not pretty. Look at you right now. You're a snotty mess. Jesus, use a tissue!" Tony joked. Joking was his only way to deal in these situations. Bruce smiled and laughed a weak laugh.  
      "Yeah I guess you're right. I just...Tony, you're the ladies man. That's YOUR schtick. I'm..Bruce. Quiet, awkward, nerdy Bruce. Scholar Bruce. Not stud Bruce. Half the girls at school probably don't even know that I exist. But that doesn't even matter. I don't want them, I never have. I want her." Bruce said, pacing again. He ran a hand through his wavy hair. "I just..I don't know what to do.."  
     Tony blanched at the 'ladies man' part. "Well, Bruce. I'm not really a 'ladies man' anymore, but uhh..yeah. Bruce, any girl would be lucky to have you. And there ARE girls who see you. What was that girl's name...freshman year...Betty! Betty Ross. Freshman year chemistry! Remember? She was obsessed with you! And hey..don't worry...if it doesn't work out, you always have Clint as a fallback!"  
       Bruce groaned and flopped facedown on Tony'a bed. "But I don't want Betty /fucking/ Ross..I didn't even then...and Clint..dear god, Clint...I just...I want Pepper.."   
      "I know, man...you'll get her..you have to tell her though..."  
      "How?" Bruce's voice cracked. "How the hell am I supposed to do that without embarrassing myself?" Tony smirked.   
      "Hey babe, wanna bump uglies?" Tony said, making finger guns. Bruce rolled over, looked at Tony incredulously, and groaned.   
      "Oh my god, Tony...remind me never to ask you for love advice ever again..." he said with a laugh. Tony laughed back, when Pepper walked in.  
     "Well, are we ready to see a very dapper young man?"   
     "Yeah, let's see our little stud!" Tony said, sitting up.   
      Pepper smiled and gestured for Loki to come in. He looked so..mature. Still short, but mature. His jet black hair was slicked back in a way that would only work for him. The green of his shirt matched his eyes, and popped against his pale skin. The gold tie shimmered in the light, but not in a tacky way. The guys clapped at Pepper's handiwork.   
     "Now, Bruce's turn!" she said, blushing slightly. How could Bruce not see this? She's been in love with him for years, and he CAN'T tell? Bruce...   
      Bruce blushed slightly, and looked over to Tony. Tony gave him a reassuring smile, and shoved him out the door. He walked over to his desk, shuffling around a few papers. He turned to see his mom standing in the doorway.   
     "Hi, Mom."  
     "Tony, honey. Do you need anything?" his mother had a kind face. She was a lot warmer than his father.   
     "Nah, thanks." Tony said.   
     "Hi Mrs. Stark!" Loki piped up from the bed. Tony smiled. His mom was always fond of Loki, and vice versa.   
      "Hi Loki dear." she walked over to give him a warm hug. He returned the favor.   
     "Dear, would you like some cookies that I just made? I need someone to try them." she asked Loki.   
     "Sure!!!" Loki said excitedly, following Tony's mom down the steps. Tony was alone for a few minutes when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. He turned to see Steve in his doorway. He smiled.   
      "Hey. You ready for your makeover, Ken?" he smirked.   
      Steve's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Ken?"  
     "You remind me stunningly of a Ken doll." Tony said, walking over to where Steve was standing. Steve laughed, and they walked into the hallway.   
      "Dammit. Pep has Bruce in that bathroom..alright, I'm gonna show you something really cool. Are you ready for this shit? No you're not. Let's go." Tony grabbed the bag with Steve's clothes, and walked into his lab. He walked to the far wall, and pressed a button. The wall slid open, and Tony dragged Steve into the small elevator. They went down a level, and ended in a small, empty hallway. Tony walked to the end of it, opened a door, and entered a huge master bathroom.   
      "Woah." Steve said in awe.   
       "Yeah, it's a backup." Tony said nonchalantly.   
       "For what?" Steve asked, looking at his boyfriend.   
       "I dunno. Just cause its cool." Tony said, smirking. "Alright, come here. Let's do your hair first." Tony pulled Steve over to the vanity set and pushed him down onto the bench. He stood above Steve and thought about his next move. He looked at Steve in the mirror, and thought about what look he wanted. He decided on doing it in an almost..50's style. Then he had an idea.   
     "Steve..come with me."   
     "I..where?" Steve asked warily.   
      "Field trip. Come on." Tony went back to his room, grabbed his keys, and went out the back door.   
       "Tony, where are we going now?"  Steve asked, jogging to keep up.   
       "Mall." Tony said, sliding in the Porsche. The car was turned on before Steve even opened the door, and was backing out before he even shut it.  
       "Tony, why?! What's going...AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Steve screamed as Tony floored the car on the same back road as earlier. Once Tony slowed, he started his question again.   
       "What's going on?"   
        "I had a brilliant idea. Just go with it." Tony said, pulling into a spot.   
        "I'm beginning to discover that that's my new way of life if I'm gonna be with you..." Steve said, getting out.   
       Once in the store, Tony made a beeline for a certain area of the stores. He grabbed a simple white dress shirt, old-fashioned suspenders, and practically threw them at Steve.   
       "Dressing room. Now. Go. What size shoe do you wear?"   
      "11, why?" Steve asked, backing towards the dressing rooms as Tony rushed off. He came back and threw a pair of old fashioned black oxfords over the top of the door, missing Steve's head narrowly. "Try those on too!"  
       "I might if you weren't trying to behead me with them.." Steve said, and Tony heard scuffling.   
       "I look ridiculous." Steve said, stepping out. Tony's breath caught. Steve looked..wow. Despite his jeans, the look totally worked.   
       "No you don't. Go take that stuff off and give it to me. Meet me at the register when you're dressed." Tony said, shoving the much bigger guy into the dressing room again.  
       "Tony, I'm not letting you pay agai-" Steve began to protest, but Tony slammed the door.   
      "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just hurry up!" he caught the garments and shoes as Steve handed them to him, and made a fast pace to the register. Steve appeared a minute later, back in casual clothes. Tony finished getting rung out, then practically power-walked to his car. They sped most of the way back home, and entered unnoticed. They went back to their secret bathroom, and Tony got to work.   
       He used lots of product to make Steve's hair have the perfect 50's look. The look WORKED on him. Very well. He wore old fashioned nicely.   
     "Okay, umm..here's your shirt, I'll..I'll go over here so you can umm change okay..." Tony felt his face reddening. He saw Steve roll his eyes.   
      "Oh my god, Tony, you act as if I have something to hide." he heard Steve's shirt his the floor, and flinched. Man, was he jumpy.   
       "Mmm.." Tony merely replied, and waited till Steve said "Okay, I'm done." Tony turned around, and blushed. He saw Steve fiddling with his suspenders.   
       "Here, here..let me help you.." Tony said, rushing over to fix the straps. He had to stand on his tiptoes because of the height difference, but he made it work. He turned around as Steve put his pants on, then turned back to admire his work.   
      Steve looked like a perfect 50's stud. Tony smiled.   
      "YESS! In yo FACE, Potts! Wait till she sees my creation! Bitch yeah!" Tony exclaimed. Steve laughed.   
      "Okay, well, thanks. Glad to know I'm worthy enough to shame Pepper's decorating to hell." Steve said, and Tony laughed.   
      "Very worthy, my dear. Very worthy." Tony walked to look in the mirror. He still had to do his hair and get dressed and everything...Steve had taken longer than he thought.   
      "Stay down here, I wanna be there for the big reveal so I can gloat. I have to get ready, so..entertain yourself somehow." Tony said, starting to deal with his hair. Finally, he got it in a messy but dressy style that would serve its purpose tonight.   
     "Very nice." Steve said, from behind Tony. He had been watching the whole time, Tony could feel it. He blushed. "Thanks. Guess gay guys really do make good hairdressers." Tony said sardonically. Steve smirked.  
      "Okay, I...I have to change my shirt, so.." Tony said, standing up awkwardly.  
      "I'll cover my eyes." Steve said, covering his eyes with his hands. Tony blushed when he saw him peeking through the cracks between his fingers.   
       "Oh you're such a pervert. Turn around! There's nothing to see! I'm a skinny nerd! No show here!" Tony said, exasperatedly. Steve laughed, turning around. Tony hurried up and changed his shirt and pants.   
      "Okay perv, I'm decent."   
      Steve turned around and looked up and down Tony. Tony felt himself blushing at the intensity of his gaze.   
       "What? Does this..look bad?" Tony asked, suddenly self conscious. He looked down at the dark red dress shirt and black pants. He didn't see anything wrong with it.   
      "No, quite the opposite..." Steve said, walking closer. He stood inches away from Tony, still staring intensely into his eyes.  
      "Then what-mmmfff.." Tony squeaked out as he was shut up by Steve kissing him again. He felt himself melt away from his body. Then, all too soon, it was over. He blushed again. It was practically permanent now.   
      "Pervert..," Tony said playfully as he nudged Steve's arm.   
      "You like it..." Steve said, laughing. They both laughed as Tony straightened his tie.   
      "Alright, time to go show you off, Rogers." Tony said, heading back upstairs.   
      "Pepper! PEPPER JANE POTTS, GET YOUR GINGER ASS OUT HERE!" Tony shouted from his lab. He watched as Pepper appeared around the corner, glaring.   
      "That's a new one. What are you yelling about?" she asked, walking in.   
      "Check out my creation. LOOK AT HIM! LOOK." Tony said, pulling Steve into view. Tony smiled smugly as Pepper's jaw dropped.  
      "YOU did that?!" she asked, incredulous.   
       "Shoosh yeah I did. Bitch." he threw in that last part for good measure, but backed up when she took a step forward. "Sorry, sorry. Dontkillmeokaythanks." he jumped behind Steve.   
       "Well, Tony, good job. Now for my second creation...BRUCE!" Pepper called over her shoulder. Bruce appeared in the lab, looking...not like Bruce. His unruly hair was tamed, he was dressed up, and he looked smooth and confident. On the outside, at least.   
      "Hey guys.." he said, shyly. He was blushing again.   
      All four looked around at each other.   
     "Pep, you better go get ready. It's almost 5:30."   
     "Oh..yup, I probably should. Don't mess yourself up, Banner!" she said, rushing out.   
      "Yeah okay!" Bruce said absentmindedly, before sitting down on one of the tables.   
       "Please love me..." he said dejectedly as she disappeared from sight. He looked so forlorn that Tony started laughing. Then Bruce looked up and started smiling, then started laughing. Steve looked around a little confusedly before joining in on the laughter until they were all in hysterics. 

Steve: Steve felt awkward in his dress clothes. He wasn't used to being all dolled up, because he never really got out much. He did have to say though, Tony made him look awesome. He really liked the old fashioned look.   
       Steve felt..right. He finally fit in with these people, finally had people to call friends. Finally had people that liked him and cared about him and wanted to be around him. He looked at Tony. Finally had someone to be with in THAT way. He felt like he had found THAT person in Tony. But..all of this was so fast. He had only known him for a month, after all...but still. It FELT...right. He couldn't imagine himself with anyone else. At all. He saw Tony look up to his gaze and he smiled, blushing when Tony smiled back. He wanted so desperately just to go hug him right there, but knew he couldn't. Not yet, at least. Not yet.   
        The guys made small talk for about 10 minutes when they heard footsteps. Clint and Natasha appeared in the lab, and everyone sucked in a breath. Even with Steve liking boys, he had to say...Nat looked AMAZING. She was wearing a black and red provocative dress; it was short and low cut, with cut out sides and a huge slit up the front. She had on killer black stilettos that had to be at least 4 inches high. She had black cat eyeliner, and wore her hair in a high bun. Clint matched her in a black shirt with a red tie, and black pants. They both looked amazing.   
        "Hot damn, Romanoff. Clint, that your work?" Tony said, nodding at Nat. She smirked.   
        "What, Stark? Don't think I can dress myself?"   
        "I think you can, just not in...wow." Tony said, walking around for a better look. Steve felt a twang of jealousy. It went away as soon as Tony looked up at him with a reassuring smile, coming back to stand next to Steve.   
        "It was ALL my work. All of that. I know. I'm awesome." Clint said, smugly. He walked over and put a possessive arm around Nat's exposed waist, and Steve saw her stiffen a little before relaxing. She wasn't one for PDA.   
       Suddenly, they were broken out of their drabble by Pepper's voice in the hall.   
      "Clint, Nat, is that you? I thought I hear-oh, wow, Nat. You look..amazing!" Pepper appeared around the doorway, and Steve had to say, she looked really pretty too. In a completely different way than Nat did, though. But both looked nice.   
        "I could say the same for you." Natasha said, walking over to embrace Pepper. Clint took this chance to walk over to stand with the guys.   
     


	8. Crossdressers and Drunk Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony throws a Halloween party for his friends, and stuff goes down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **NOTE** I do not condone teenage drinking (or anything bad), so yeah. Disclaimer.

Natasha: "Clint! Where did you go? I need your help with my....oh. I'm...not surprised." she stopped dead in her tracks when she walked in her room. Clint was standing in front of her mirror in neon tights, and one of her push-up bras. He was turning around and striking poses as he stood there shirtless, other than the bra. He turned when he heard her voice, and tried covering his...invisible boobs up, blushing scarlet.   
      "Al...right. Well. If you're done admiring your boobs in that, I need your help. Did you take my eyeliner?" it was Halloween, and they were at Nat's house getting ready for Tony's annual Halloween party. Nat was dressing up as Jessica Rabbit, per Clint's request. She wore the sexy, slinky dress perfectly, of course. He was gonna do her hair and makeup, seeing as she wasn't much of the "glamorous" type. And, he really just enjoyed doing makeup. Which worried her a little at first, but by now she was way used to it. It was usual for him to do her hair and makeup for every event they had, and it was like a bonding time for them.   
         "Yeah, and girl, you need better colors. There are colors other than black, ya know." he said, digging through his own makeup bag. (Yes, Clint has his own makeup bag. No, he doesn't care.) he pulled out a neon pink liquid eyeliner pen and started to work. She watched as he did huge, bright swoops across the tips of his lids, then put the pink away. He pulled out the same pen, only in neon green, and did small, meticulous linings of his bottom lids, then put that pen away. He really knew how to do makeup. Nat really had no clue how he was so good at it. She just guessed he was a natural. She walked over to stand by him, and watched as he found a pale, pastel yellow lipstick (why did he even have that color?) and put it on his lips. He turned to Nat when he was done, and she took in his neon makeup covering him. She smirked. Yup, Clint was unique.   
       "Geez, Clint. You make a badass Nicki Minaj." Natasha said, laughing. (Yes, he was dressing up as Nicki Minaj. He's a bad bitch.)   
       "I know I do." he smirked. "Ready for me to get you all sexy-fied?"   
       "Aren't I always?" she said, sitting down in front of him. He immediately went to work on her, with the immediate concentration and attention that he got while doing makeup. It took him about half an hour before she was looking like a gorgeous vixen. When he was done with her, he applied his false lashes and was done with his own makeup.   
       "Hey Nat?" Clint asked, messing with the bra.   
       "Hey what?" she asked, turning around she rummaged through her desk drawer for her phone.   
        "What can I use for boobs?" he asked, still admiring his invisible cleavage.   
        Nat looked up. "....Again, not surprised." she went to her drawer and pulled out what looked like 2 large, rubber flesh-colored balls.   
        "Rubber boobs? Geez Nat. Why do you have these?" Clint asked, walking over to where she was standing.   
         "If you remember, I didn't really develop until last year.." she said, handing the rubber boobs to Clint. She watched as he palmed them in his huge, rough hands. He was fascinated with them.   
         "So...how do I fix these?" he asked in confusion.   
         "Here. Give me them." she took them out of his hands and put them into each cup, adjusting them so her boyfriend could have Nicki's ample cleavage.   
        "Woah. Niiiiiice." he said, walking over to the mirror to play with his new boobs. He put his shirt on when he was satisfied, and then the giant pale pink wig.   
        "Nicki, where's your booty?" Nat asked jokingly as he started walking out in his killer heels. He turned around, scandalized, and said "OH MY GOD! NAT! I NEED A BOOTY!"   
         She walked over and grabbed a pillow. She motioned for him to come over, and he did. She pulled the waist of his leggings out and snickered. He was wearing his Fairly Oddparents boxers. His ratty old boxers that he's had forever. She shoved the pillow in there and adjusted it so he had the big bahonkadonk that Nicki was famous for. Finally he was done.   
       He strutted his way to the door and down the steps. Nat walked out behind him, and heard her dad's booming voice.   
        "AAAAY, Clint! Looking good, man!" she heard him laugh.   
         "Thanks Mr. Romanoff. So do you!" Nat heard the playful wink in his voice and smiled. She entered the room to see her father in hysterics and her mother staring, appalled. Her smile fell a little. She and her mother..didn't always agree. Her mother was very conservative. Nothing like her father. She could just imagine the thoughts running through her head. 'My daughter is dating a crossdresser!' and all that. She rolled her eyes.   
        "Oooooh, Nat. You look beautiful." her father said, and she smiled. Her mother looked over at her and Nat saw her eyes widen at the sight of her daughter's costume.   
         "That's nice, Natasha..." she said through gritted teeth.      
          "Thanks.." she said, looking away. "Ready to go? It's almost 8."   
          "Let's go." said Clint, strutting his way over to her. "See ya Mr. and Mrs. Romanoff!" he waved, then strutted his way out to his car and drove to Tony's for the party. 

Tony: Tony was pretty sure everything was ready for his party. Pepper planned it, after all. She was dressed as a cheerleader, with her hair in a high ponytail. He smirked. It was the complete opposite of the Pepper he knew and loved. The house looked amazing. She had a real talent for party planning. There was fake fog running through every floor of the immense glass mansion. There were traps and spooks around every corner. The lawn was filled with creepy stuff. None of that tacky decoration store stuff, either. It was expensive, movie-grade expensive stuff. Because that's just how Tony Stark rolls. The playlist was all planned out (plenty of Nicki for Clint) and ready to go. The spooky (catered) food was spread out professionally, and the punch bowl full. Though Tony knew barely anyone would be drinking much punch.   
     Tony was a strong believer in underage drinking, and would step up to be the spokesperson if asked. He never got caught, even though he was sure his parents knew. He was sure his mother cared, but since no one was getting hurt, she saw no harm. He always had booze at his parties. The only ones who actually drank though were Thor, Clint, Nat, and of course himself. Pepper was very strongly against it, and definitely wouldn't let Loki drink. She was so protective. Bruce chose not to drink, saying he had "better things to do than get shit-faced and embarrass himself". That didn't stop Tony from encouraging him, though. The answer was always no though. He had willpower.   
       Tony was dressed up as a very suave, very smooth Hugh Hefner. He found it ironic, now that he's finally sure that he likes boys, he's dressing up as the founder of Playboy. That's also how Tony Stark rolls.   
       "Pep, what time is it?" he called in from the living room. He already had a cup of booze in his hands. Starting early.   
        "Uhhh...it's 7:55." she said, rushing in. "People should be here like any minute now!!" she was practically bouncing. She loved the big unveil. She loved showing off her hard work. Just as she said that, the doorbell rang and Jarvis called, "Sir, it's Master Banner."   
       "Open it up, Jarvis." Tony called, taking another sip of booze. He heard the lock click open, and Bruce say "Thanks, Jarvis." and then footsteps. Then, he saw Bruce and almost choked.   
       "Hiya, Einstein." Tony said, smirking.   
        "Hefner? Really Tony?" Bruce shook his head. "Pep, nice..pom-poms." he said, smirking.   
         "I like his style!" Tony said, while Pepper said "Shut it, Banner." Bruce laughed as the door rang again.   
         "Sir, it is Master Rogers."   
         "I'll get the door, Jarvis!" Tony said, practically jumping out of his skin. He hoped the others didn't notice. (They did.) He opened the door to see Steve in a toga. He was wearing those tall lace-up sandals and a gold wreath on his head.   
         Tony blushed at the sight of him. It was almost a month since they started dating, and Tony had never been happier. Everyone just assumed they were super-close best friends. The only person, other than them, who knew was Pepper, and possibly Logan. But that's questionable. He did have a way of reading things, though. Tony and Steve were inseparable. They did everything together. They didn't do any PDA unless they were alone, with Pepper, or in the safety of Tony's house or car. He had yet to meet Steve's parents, but figured he would some point in the future. He didn't wanna rush it, and they wouldn't come out until they both agreed they were ready. Which wasn't yet. They were almost ready to tell their friends, but...parents were a different story.   
      "Hey," Steve said, smiling adorably.  
        "Hi.." Tony said, smiling back. He felt himself blush even more. Tony Stark had been the equivalent of a teenage girl for about 2 months now, since he first met him. Only Steve made him this way. Only Steve.  
      "You're drinking already?" Steve asked disapprovingly, nodding at Tony's near-empty glass.   
      "Maaaybe..." Tony said sheepishly. "I'm not even close to being drunk yet. Neither are you. Which is a situation we should work on." he smiled playfully, and kissed Steve real quick before dragging him inside. They walked in the living room, said hi to Bruce and Pepper, and headed to the kitchen. They were alone again.   
       Tony stepped towards Steve and kissed him again, only this time was more in-depth. They were going at it when Tony heard a "Oh..um." and turned to see two very red-faced people.   
       "Um..." Tony started, rubbing the back of his neck. "Steve..wanna tell Bruce? Even though I'm sure he already has guessed, I mean..just Bruce..?"   
       Steve nodded. He trusted Bruce.   
       "See, Bruce..me and Steve..are kind of a thing, now. If you couldn't already tell." Tony said, feeling himself blush even more.   
        He looked up to see Bruce laughing. What the hell? He felt himself getting angry. He couldn't believe this. Quiet, sweet Bruce was making fun of them? What was going on with him?   
       "Look, Bruce-"  
      Bruce put his hands up to stop him. "No, no. Tony, I'm not laughing about that. It's your life. I'm happy for you guys. I'm laughing because I've known the whole time. Believe me. I was just waiting for you to tell me."  
        Tony thought that over. How would he know? The only other person who knew was....  
        "Pepper! Why did you-"  
        "Noooo, she didn't tell me! Wait, she knew before me?! Wow guys. But no. I saw you guys getting a quick little smooch in before homecoming. I figured as much out since then. I'm Bruce, remember?" he said, smiling. "But really. I'm happy for you guys. I really am. You two are perfect together. All of us knew you guys had a thing for each other. All of us still do. Now it's just confirmed for me and Pepper. Anyway, Pep..maybe we should leave and let them get back to...their "moment"...." he snickered and pulling Pepper out of the room.   
       Tony turned to Steve. "Well. I didn't think we were that obvious."  
       Steve smirked. "Yeah, me either. Oh well. I can handle that." he moved in for another kiss, and Tony didn't stop him. They kissed for the remaining time, when the door rang, signaling everyone was here. They snapped out of the kiss, and exchanged a quick look of longing, before going to get the door and starting the party.   
            An hour or so later, everyone was there and the party was in full swing. Tony was in the beginning stages of being drunk, as was Clint. Nat was drinking too, but she never showed it. Thor was already fully gone, but he kept downing each cup like it was nothing. Pepper was keeping an eye on Loki. Tony was peer-pressuring Steve into drinking, though not in a bad way. Steve finally gave in and had some, then some more, then some more...and now was showing the beginning signs of being drunk. Tony smirked. He couldn't wait to see what type of drunk Steve would be. He handed Bruce a glass, who surprisingly took a tentative sip.   
      Tony did a double-take. "Bruce! Did...did you just...accept that?!" he asked, incredulous.   
      Bruce smiled sheepishly. "Maybe it will help with my shyness..."   
       Tony got it. He thought that he might come out of his shell and talk to Pepper some. He saw it now. He clapped him on the back, then went to turn the music up.   
       As soon as he got to the speakers, a Nicki song came on and Clint went wild. Tony had to say, Clint looked good in drag. Soon enough, Thor was out there drunkenly fist-pumping while Clint drunkenly grinded on air, while the rest of them laughed and clapped along.   
       A few hours later, everyone who was drinking was completely shit-faced. Nat still didn't show it though. Tony wondered how she did that, then got distracted by the music pumping LOUDLY. He saw Bruce stagger over to where Pepper and Loki were standing. Pepper had her arm around the smaller boy, as if keeping him away from all alcohol. They seemed to be having fun though.  Tony watched as Bruce walked over, and planted a huge kiss on Pepper's mouth. Then as he broke away, she stood there stunned, he smiled and drunkenly tried for another, before she pushed him away and stomped out. Bruce staggered over to Tony.   
      "What did I do?" he asked, words slurring.   
      "I don't know, Bruce. I don't know." Tony said, because he was a thoughtful drunk. He watched as Steve and Thor began a drinking contest. Loki was standing around awkwardly. Clint was still grinding on the air. Nat was nowhere to be found.   
     "CLINT! Clint! Where's 'atasha?" Tony slurred, calling across the room. He saw Clint look up and shrug.   
      "I DUNNOOOO" he called back, before resuming his grinding. Tony shrugged, and went back to whatever he was doing before he was interrupted. 

Pepper: "Pep, sweetie. Don't worry about it, he's just drunk." Nat rubbed soothing circles on Pepper's back as she sat there in Tony's room. They were good enough of friends that he didn't  care when she was in there, whether he was too or not. She couldn't believe this. Bruce had finally kissed her, but out of drunken stupidity. He probably wouldn't even remember it in the morning. He'd go back to being normal Bruce while she sat there, soberly pining after him like she had for almost 3 years now.   
       "It's...it's just...not...not fair..." she said between sobs. "He won't even remember...but I will..I'll remember...and It means nothing because he's DRUNK!" she sobbed harder. This had to be horrible for Nat. She wasn't one for crying. Or emotions. But she stuck through it, comforting her as she went.   
       "Pep...I'm sure he would do it sober, too. Being drunk just gave him an extra push to do what he's been wanting to do for however long. I'm not saying its alright. I'm saying that I still believe he does like you, he's just too shy to do anything about it. This gave him the push." Nat said, always the voice of reason. Pepper calmed down a little, looking up at her.   
      "But still...he did it while DRUNK. We had our first and maybe last kiss while he was drunk. It meant nothing. To him, at least. To me...it finally happened, Nat. FINALLY. But it wasn't him doing it. It was all the alcohol..." she sighed sadly as tears ran down her soaked cheeks. This night was turning out horrible. She tried to calm herself down so she wouldn't create a scene. Though no one would know anyway, they were all shit-faced drunk. Except for-   
      "Pepper? Pepper, are you up here? Oh my gosh, Pepper, are you okay?" she heard Loki's voice and looked up to see him rushing in the room to sit by her. She accepted his hug and tried not to start crying again. She genuinely liked Loki. He was such a little sweetheart.   
      "Yeah. I'm..I'm alright. Did someone send you?" she asked, wiping her eyes.   
      "No. I..didn't really know what to do. So I came to find you." he said, shrugging. Then it struck her that she left him down there, the only sober one amidst all these crazy drunks.   
      "Oh my god sweetie I'm so sorry! I didn't even...oh my god, I feel horrible..." a pang of guilt hit her. "Alright, what do you wanna do, guys? Well, Nat you'll probably wanna go with Clint..wait what time is it?" Pepper asked to whoever could answer.   
      "11:30." Nat answered, looking at her phone. "Clint will probably end up sleeping here, huh?"   
      "Probably. Bruce and Steve probably will too. Loki?"    
      "My brother is really drunk. I don't think he can drive. So I'll drive him home." he said, looking unsure.   
       "Won't your parents care that he's completely shit-faced?" Nat asked incredulously.   
       "No..that happens so often that they just gave up. As long as nothing happens, it's alright."   
       "Okay. Well. I'm gonna go home. My parents won't even know that I drank anything. But..oh, pep. Could you take me home? I rode with Clint and he's staying here."   
       "Sure, let's go." she got up and walked downstairs. She saw a drunk Bruce passed out on the couch. She couldn't help thinking how cute he looked. Then felt...she didn't know how she felt. She was a little mad, she guessed. That's probably the best way to explain it. A little sad too. The two mixed to form an ugly monster just waiting to rear its head. She walked past all the drunk, passed out boys to the door. She watched Nat walk over and kiss Clint's forehead before following her. Loki somehow managed to rouse Thor and get him to the truck. They waved goodbye as Loki backed out and sped off. Soon they were in Pepper's car, pulling out and driving off to Nat's house.   
        "Nat...you know how much I like him.." Pepper began.  
        "Pep, I know. Believe me. I do. And honestly? I do believe he likes you too. Not just because Clint says so. Because I-"  
         "WAIT." Pepper said, cutting her off. Nat scowled at the interruption.  
         "What?"   
         "What did Clint say?" she asked, suspiciously.   
         "He said he thinks Bruce likes you too."  
         "Oh." Pepper's hope sank. She thought he had told him he liked her. That would've sealed it all. Solid proof. Not just theories.   
          They arrived at Natasha's house. Pepper pulled in, and Nat undid her seatbelt, reaching over to put a hand on Pepper's arm.   
          "Hang in there." she said, trying to smile reassuringly. "Text me if you need anything."   
           "Will do. Night. Thanks, Nat."  
           "Anytime. Night." she shut the door and walked in her house.   
           Pepper backed out, and turned on the radio. Hey There Delilah. Of course. She struggled not to cry as she thought of what could be and what actually was. And the could be was a lot more appealing. It always was. 


	9. And Yet Another Secret Boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after.

Tony: Tony woke up the next morning with a massive, splitting headache. He felt something warm wrapped around his chest, and opened his eyes. Ouch. No. Too bright. He closed them again, and merely felt what it was. It was an arm. He opened his eyes slowly, to finally see that Steve had crashed with him, and splayed his arm across Tony's chest. He realized he must've just dropped, considering he was sprawled out on the floor. He began to blink and stretch, sitting up. He groaned as his head felt as if it was being smashed open. Steve's arm fell into his lap as he continued to sleep. Tony smiled. He looked cute while he slept.   
         He looked over to see a very tired, very confused Bruce sitting up and wincing. He fixed his glasses as he adjusted to the light, finally turning to Tony.   
        "What...what happened last night?" he asked groggily.   
        Tony let out a genuine laugh at that. So cliché.   
        "Nothing really, man." Tony knew something happened, just couldn't remember what. It tugged on his memory, but he couldn't seem to recall it. He shrugged it off, figuring it didn't really matter that much then.   
       "I'm never getting drunk again...." Bruce said, wincing again. "What do you do to get this to go away?"   
       "Nothing really. You just deal with it till it goes away. Just lay back down and it's not as bad. You can stay here as long as you want. Till it goes away so your parents don't find out. Call them if you want and let them know." Tony nodded at Bruce's phone, still in his lap from last night. He glanced at his own phone to check the time. 1:00 pm. Geez.   
        He jumped a little when he heard a knock at the door. "Jarvis?" he called out hoarsely.   
        "It's Miss Potts, sir."   
        "Let her in."  
        "Yes, Master Stark." Tony heard a click, and then Pepper's voice.   
        "Thanks, Jarvis. Good afternoon." always so polite.   
        "Good afternoon, Miss Potts."   
        Tony heard footsteps coming towards the living room. He then saw a very put-together Pepper walking in the room, and smiling. He then saw as she noticed Bruce, and her smile fell. She turned to Tony.   
        "Good afternoon, sunshine. Do you need anything? How do you feel?"   
        "Morning, Pep." Bruce piped up hoarsely from the couch. Tony watched as she merely glanced towards him, replying with a cool "Morning." Bruce turned to Tony with a what-did-I-do look. Tony shrugged.   
         "I feel shitty. Hangovers suck BALLS. " Tony said, groaning.   
         "That's why you shouldn't get drunk." she glanced towards Bruce's direction momentarily. "I can name some other reasons why you shouldn't, too. Anyway, you need anything?"   
         What happened between Bruce and Pepper last night? Bruce's eyebrows were knit in confusion as he looked at Tony for help. Tony merely shrugged again, not knowing what the answer was. Suddenly, he felt Steve shifting next to him, and looked over to see Steve opening his eyes tentatively and wincing.   
       "What..Tony. What happened?" Tony laughed again. Newbies.   
       "You got very drunk. And then told all of us your deepest, darkest secrets. And then passed out." Tony said monotonously. He watched as Steve's face reddened and eyes widened, and held back a laugh.  
       "I...I did?" he asked, worriedly.   
       "Yes. Now we all know about your fetish for old, hairy men. It's okay though. No judging or anything." Tony couldn't help it anymore, and bursted out laughing. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I don't really remember, either. Nothing bad though, or I would've remembered it. We all would've." Tony said. He heard Pepper snort bitterly, then watched as she walked towards the kitchen. "Now if you'll excuse me. I need to have a word with her..." he started to get up to follow her. "Oh, before I forget. Good morning." he smiled, leaning over and kissing Steve lightly before getting up and staggering to the kitchen himself.   
         He saw Pepper readying four bowls of cereal. He walked over towards her, as fast as he could manage in this state.   
        "Pep. What the hell is going on?" Tony asked, leaning on the counter for support.   
        "I don't know what you're talking about." she said nonchalantly, not looking up from her work. Apparently, pouring fruit loops DOES take that much concentration.   
        "Pepper, yes you do. What happened with you and Bruce?" Tony said, pressuring her to answer. He knew she wasn't going to answer though. She was Pepper.   
       "Why don't you go ask him? Or better yet, get him drunk again and I'm sure you'll find it out real easy." She slammed the fridge door shut, grabbing two bowls of the cereal and heading out towards the living room. Tony stared after her, dumbfounded, before grabbing his bowl of cereal and walking out to his seat.  
       He saw a very confused Bruce look up at him questioningly. Pepper practically shoved the bowl in his hands, before stalking upstairs to Tony's room.   
        "What the hell is going on?" Bruce asked as soon as she was out of earshot.   
        "Fuck if I know." Tony said, shrugging. "She told me to ask you."   
        Bruce looked down at his lonely bowl of fruit loops, before standing up and walking out of the room and upstairs. Tony turned to Steve.   
        "Well." he began.   
        "What's going on?" Steve asked innocently.     
        "Pep is mad about something Bruce did last night. None of us remember, though."  Tony filled him in.   
        "I do." Steve said quietly, eating his fruit loops.   
         "You do? What happened?" Tony asked, whipping his head towards him. "Ouch. Ouch..." he winced at the pain in his head.   
        "Bruce kissed her." Steve said simply.   
        "He...what?! Wait, Bruce...well then why the hell's she mad?!?!" Tony asked, incredulous. Wasn't this what she had wanted since freshman year? And wasn't that what he'd been wanting to do for the past month? Make a move? Why didn't he tell Tony? That's when it hit him. He remembered now. He drunkenly kissed her, and she had run off, with Nat close behind. He groaned. It all made sense.   
       "He was drunk...he drunk kissed her. Oh my god, Steve, I remember now..." Tony turned to see Steve finishing his cereal before looking up to meet Tony's gaze.   
        "Well then lets let them figure that out. Clint wake up yet?" Steve nodded towards Clint's sleeping form, and Tony snorted. Clint had one rubber boob sticking out, his wig was lopsided, his makeup had run, and his butt pillow was sticking out. What a sight. He was also draped upside down over a chair. Tony wondered how that happened.   
        "Where's Thor?" he asked. He didn't remember him leaving.   
        "I bet Loki took him home last night. Once we all crashed." Steve said. He winced as he moved. "Hey Tony?"   
        "What?"   
        "Can I not get drunk for a long time? It's not fun anymore." Tony laughed out loud at the innocent way Steve said that, and grabbed his hand.   
         "Sure, hun. Whatever you want. Hangovers suck." he laughed, before leaning over to kiss Steve again. They laid back down, and Steve put his arm right back where it was before. Tony didn't mind. He curled up into Steve and drifted off once again. 

Bruce: Bruce walked up the glass steps to Tony's room one slow step at a time. Every step, every move he made HURT. He finally made his way to the door, and he stood there for a minute, steeling himself. He knocked on the doorframe before peeking his head in.   
      He saw Pepper lounging on Tony's bed, staring at the wall. She glanced up for a minute when he knocked, then went back to the wall.   
       "Pep..." Bruce began.   
       Silence from her. Alright. This would be interesting. He stood awkwardly in the doorway.   
       "Pepper..what did I do?" he asked, confused. He wasn't playing dumb, either. He just really had no clue what he did wrong.   
       She looked up. "See..it's exactly as I told Nat..." she smirked bitterly.   
       "What is? Pepper, I swear on my life that I don't know WHAT you're talking about."   
       "You don't remember. I was right. I'm sure it'll come back to you. Think about it." he could feel the bitterness and hurt in her voice, making each word sharp as knives. He tried to remember. Nothing.   
       "Nothing? You can't think of anything?" she asked, incredulous. "How about this. Does this ring a bell? Staggering drunkenly over and kissing me?" Bruce groaned inwardly as the pieces clicked together. He felt the realization showing on his face. She saw it too. "Yeah. That jogs your memory, huh? Thought it might." she said, words full of hurt and anger. She turned back to the wall.   
      "Oh my god, Pepper...I...I'm so sorry...I...I can't believe I...Pepper, you know I'd never do that if I was sober...oh my god..." he groaned, walking towards her. He saw her face fall. What did he say now?   
       "I know. That's exactly it. It would never happen if you were sober..so I'm not sure how I feel about it. If I should just be happy cause it actually happened and probably won't ever again, or...or hurt that it happened that way...and that /I/ would be the one left to think about it and remember it and FEEL about it, when it didn't even faze you..." she rambled on, and Bruce heard her voice break. He turned to see her laying back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Tears were sliding down her cheeks. Oh Jesus. Bruce didn't understand this. What was she talking about? Being happy..that it happened? What?   
       He walked over to sit by her. "Pepper..I don't follow. What do you mean?" he asked, looking down at her.   
      "I mean..ugh. Bruce, isn't it horribly obvious?"   
       "N....o? Should it be?" he asked, confusedly. Was WHAT obvious?   
       She looked up. "Bruce, I...last night, I knew it didn't mean anything. But it got my hopes up anyway. And then I thought about it. You were DRUNK, for God's sake. It wasn't you kissing me. It was the alcohol. You wouldn't remember it, or probably even care. But me..I was left there, sober, to remember and care and think about this kiss that meant nothing. To you, at least. To me it didn't..." she covered her face, wiping at her eyes. The tears kept coming. Her voice was shaky. Bruce felt a pang at the sight of her like this. And then an even bigger one when he remembered he caused it. He still didn't follow though. Why would it matter to her? She didn't like him anyway. He did care. He wished he'd remembered more about it. It's all he'd wanted to do for how long now. And he finally did, but didn't remember any of it, and probably wouldn't get it ever again now because of his pure stupidity. He felt the anger building up in him, and struggled to keep hold of himself. He put his head in his hands, drawing in a long breath before speaking again.   
       "Pepper..I still don't understand. Why does it mean so much to you? It's..it's not like you actually like me or anything. Me...I...Pepper, you have no idea how much I care about it." he started, then stopped when he saw the look on her face. Oh shit.   
        "Why does it mean so much to me? Bruce, if you HAVEN'T been able to tell already, I..like you. I have since we met freshman year. I've held it in since then. I couldn't tell you because you'd never like me, because that could just never happen. I've been dreaming about you kissing me for YEARS and then it finally happens, only to be the voice of alcohol. Do you understand now? It didn't mean anything. You didn't even remember. You would've went on like nothing happened if I hadn't told you. And I knew that. I told Nat that last night, and she didn't believe me. No one did. But it's true. It's true, I was right. And I wish I wasn't, but I was..." she trailed off, the tears flowing more abundantly now.   
         Bruce sat there, incredulous. She..she liked him? And..she had for that long? Without telling him? It bothered her that much? He couldn't help the bright smile that spread across his face.   
       "Pepper..you like me? Why didn't you ever tell me?" he asked, turning towards her. She peeked our from her hands.   
       "Yes..and because. You're you. I'm me. I didn't think you'd ever notice me that way. I know you won't ever like me. So why would I ruin a friendship by telling you that?"   
        "Pepper.." he began, choosing his next words carefully. "Pepper..why would you think that?"   
        "Think what?" she sounded confused, but calmed down a little.   
       "That I won't like you..ever?"   
       "Because you won't."   
       "But why?"    
       "Because. I'm ME. I have 4 brothers. I'm like a guy myself. I'm OCD, I'm plain, I'm a ginger! I'm nothing special, Bruce. Nothing to be noticed."  
      Bruce snorted at that.   
      "What?" Pepper asked, confused.  
      "Nothing special..Pepper, Johnny freaking STORM danced on you ALL night at homecoming. Nothing special? Pepper.." he reached out and grabbed her hand. She looked at him incredulously. "Pepper..you're special. Do you have.../any/ idea just how special you are? Pepper, I can't say I've liked you as long as you've liked me. But..." his confidence was slowly growing now that he knew she liked him. "Pepper, I've liked you in silence for so long. Why would you ever like me? I'm a nerd. I'M nothing special. Not compared to you. And Pepper, last night..I would do ANYTHING to take it back. You have no idea how sorry I am. I'm never getting drunk again, I can tell you that. I would to anything to start yesterday over, to make myself change my mind. That's not how our first kiss was meant to be. Not with one of us stomping out and the other drunkenly staggering away." she smiled at that, sitting up. "Pepper..would you ever consider trying it again?" Bruce asked, shyly. He felt himself blushing already. But he was GOING to do this. No more silence.   
      "I....right now?" she asked, unsure.   
      "Yes. Right now. Start over. That kiss never happened last night. No one will remember it. Well, other than the sobers and clued-ins. But Pepper..we could have a new one, a REAL one right now...if you want." he moved a little closer.   
      She thought about that, before nodding tearfully at him. "Okay...okay." she said, nodding again. They sat there for an awkward minute before Bruce leaned in, unsure of what to do. He hadn't ever (soberly) kissed someone. Finally, he just took the plunge and leant forward into the kiss. His eyes flew open as soon as they made contact, then fluttered closed. He moved his hands to rest on her back tentatively, as her arms went around his neck.   
      There were no tongues involved, no dirty business. Just a pure, innocent first kiss. It went on for what seemed like forever when they broke apart, all too soon. Bruce reddened as she smiled at him, the awkwardness back once again.   
      "So..." he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "Does this mean we're...together now?"   
       Pepper thought about it. "I..that's up to you."   
       Bruce thought that one over. Did he want to label them already? He wouldn't flirt with anyone else, and he knew she wouldn't. She hadn't talked to Johnny since homecoming. So what was the rush? They could take things slow and see what happened.. "Well, why don't we just take things slow for now? Before we label ourselves. I think it may be best if we just actually take things slow, personally.." he saw her think about this, still rubbing dry tears off of her face. He grabbed her hand again. She smiled a little at that.   
       "I agree. We should just take things completely slow. There's no rush. We know how we feel. We can go at this at our own pace." she nodded practically. Always the reasonable one.   
       "Okay. Well...Pep, I really am sorry. I promise you that. And I would've done it sober..I just didn't have the confidence. Not that that's an excuse, it's not, I just..ugh. I dunno how Tony can do that so much. My head is killing me..." he stood up, followed by Pepper. They held hands as they walked, because why not?   
      "Then go down and eat your cereal. Maybe Clint is finally awake. I hope so at least. I shudder to think of what we may walk in on if he isn't..." she smirked slightly.   
      "What do you mean?" Bruce asked, smiling.   
       "Tony and Steve are alone." she said as they walked down the three flights of steps.   
       Bruce groaned. "Oh god.." they were at the doors to the living room, and they paused. They reluctantly dropped each other's hands, before walking in. Clint was awake and digging in on his cereal. Tony and Steve were asleep again, tangled up in each other. Okay. That was at least semi-PG.   
      "Have you guys seen my other boob?" Clint asked with a mouthful of fruit loops. "I have the one, but I'm a little lopsided at the moment." he gestured to his chest.   
       "Can't say I have..." Bruce said, following Pepper to the couch and sitting next to her. He grabbed his cereal and dug in, finally glad to have stopped worrying. 


	10. Guidance Counselors, Snowball Fights, Cookie Battles, and Broken Wrists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It snows. Hilarity ensues.

Steve: "Mr. Rogers! Mr. Rogers, an I have a second?"   
        Steve groaned. It was Mr. Coulson, the guidance counselor. He had been following him around and popping up at random points during Steve's school year. November 20th, and it was still happening. He sighed, turning around to see the small man hurrying towards him amidst the sea of students.   
        "Hi, Mr. Coulson.." Steve said, trying to smile.   
        "Steve. How are you?" Coulson fell into step beside Steve as he tried to walk away. As always.   
         "I'm good, thanks. How about you, sir?"   
         "Good, good. Thats what we like to hear. Well, Steve-"   
         "Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I'm going to be late for lunch.." Steve trailed off, smiling candidly.   
          "It's alright, Steve. Go ahead. Wouldn't want to get you in a pickle. See you." Coulson said, walking away. Steve turned around and made his way to lunch on his own.   
       He walked through the crowded doors to go to his table. He set down his bag lunch in between Pepper and Tony, as usual. He noticed that Bruce and Pepper had been sitting by each other a lot more lately. He wondered what was up with that. He could see that they were obviously on good terms again. He was glad for them.   
        "Hiya Steve. Glad you finally joined us." Tony nudged him, smiling.   
        "Coulson found me..." Steve said, taking out his lunch. He began to eat his apple as Tony smirked.   
        "He has such a counselor-student man crush on you..."   
        "Don't talk about it..." Steve said, groaning. That only made Tony laugh harder.   
         "Guys! Guys! Look!" Loki was bouncing in his seat and pointing towards the windows. "Its snowing!"  
         Steve gasped. The first snow. It looked beautiful with this view, and he smiled. His hand itched for his pencil and sketch pad. He took a mental picture and made a note to draw it later. He reached over under the table and grabbed Tony's hand, giving it a squeeze. Tony looked over and smiled, blushing a little.   
      They all went back to eating after their momentary awe and silence.   
                                ~  
      Four hours later, Steve was laying on Tony's bed, next to him. It was completely quiet, they had the lights out. The snow was still falling, and they laid there watching the picturesque green forest frost over through Tony's massive window. Steve had his arm around Tony who was huddled on his chest. They were perfectly content.   
       "Hey..Steve?" Tony's voice tentatively piped up.   
        "Yeah?" Steve asked, craning his neck to look down at his boyfriend.   
          "Wanna go outside?"   
          "I...yeah. Let's go!" Steve sat up, helping Tony with his coat and hat and scarf before getting his own on. They walked outdoors into the pre-winter wonderland, and Steve felt the cold biting at his ears. He looked around at the landscape. The Starks really did have a massive property. It was beautiful. Steve was thinking about what it would've been like to grow up here when he felt something cold and wet smack into the back of his head with a THUMP! He turned around to see Tony snickering, forming another snowball.   
         "Hey! No fair. I was off-guard!" Steve protested, before bending immediately over to form ammo of his own. He started firing at Tony, and before long they had an all-out battle going on.   
          "Wanna call the others?" Tony asked when he ran out of ammo again. Steve didn't even look up from his current artillery before answering "YES! Let's form teams. Okay. I get Bruce, Nat, and Loki. You can have Clint and and Pepper."  
          "Wait wait wait wait wait fucking wait. You get Nat AND an extra person? No. Fucking no. Give me Loki, since you have NAT! She'll kill us all!"   
          "You have a point. Alright. Deal. Let's call them." Steve said, laughing.   
           "Jarvis?" Tony called towards the house.   
            "Already on it, sir." Jarvis informed him. Steve was still impressed by Jarvis. And also by the fact that his 17-year-old boyfriend invented and built him. That's..wow.   
          Within 20 minutes, everyone was there and gathering ammo. The team captains (Tony and Steve) briefed each of their recruits on battle strategies, before the whistle was figuratively blown and the battle had begun.   
        Nat was like a snow demon. She was always firing, mostly at Clint. Clint never missed. Ever. Pepper was all giggles as her and Bruce flirted it up. Hardcore. Steve smiled at that. Loki was adorable of course. Everyone went easy on him, but he would sneak up behind people and get them. You would feel a cold SMACK! Then hear a retreating "Ehehehehehehehehe" and you knew you'd been Loki'd. Tony was all about trash talk and celebration. Bruce was too nice to hit anyone really hard, but he got into it because of Pepper. And Steve was all competition and battle strategy. It was hardcore.   
       After about 2 hours of this, everyone was soaked, cold, and tired. They decided to call it a game and head in for some cocoa and a movie night.   
        "We totally kicked your asses." Tony said, grinning, as he led the way up to his house.   
         "Yeaaaaah, Nat, beat that! We KILLED yo sorry asses!" Clint said, smack-talking his glowering girlfriend. "We were awesome! Wooooo! Team Red! Wo-OW! Geez, Nat. Sour loser, much?" Clint said, rubbing his arm where Nat had punched him playfully. She simply smirked and walked on ahead, saying nothing.   
         They got inside, and drank their cocoa once it was made. Steve couldn't imagine a better way this simple Friday could've gone. 

Tony: "Hey, guys. Know what we should do?" everyone looked at Pepper when she piped up.   
             "What?" Tony asked, looking towards her. He set his now-empty cup of cocoa down on the table.   
            "Bake cookies. From scratch. I know a few recipes off-hand." She smiled. Of course she did.   
            Everyone nodded and agreed to that, and then headed into the spacious kitchen. The snow was still falling from the darkening sky and it looked beautiful. They got out all of the ingredients and got to work.   
           It was as if the snowball fight had never ended. Soon enough, they had batter on their hair, clothes, skin...pretty much everywhere. Anywhere it could be, it was. Clint and Tony had started the war, and everyone pretty much picked up suit. Tony grabbed the spatula and spreading sugar cookie dough all through Steve's golden hair. Steve gasped and got a handful out of his hair and rubbed it all over Tony's face. Clint pulled the spatula back and launched a glob at Nat's face, and she immediately got her own spatula and reciprocated. Pepper poked Bruce tentatively in the nose with a huge glob of batter, and he did the same back, laughing. Loki was being a little stealth master and getting people when they didn't notice. They were a mess.   
        Somehow though, they ended up getting 3 batches of cookies into the oven. If not a few hours-and hell of a lot messier-than when they started. They sighed, leaning against the messy counters when they were done. It was nearing 10:30 at night, and the snow was still falling against the pitch black sky.   
          "I have snickerdoodle goo in my bra." Nat said, looking down her shirt. Clint snickered. "Sorry."   
           "Yeah I think we all kinda need showers..." Tony said, trailing off as they all nodded vigorously along. "Alright. Everyone claim your area. We'll meet in the movie room afterwards for a movie night. Deal?" Tony said, as if discussing a battle plan. They all knew the drill. It happened so often that it didn't faze them. Clint and Nat headed to the double bathrooms across the hall, as always. They didn't share, none of that. Each had their own separate room. They just felt more comfortable being by each other. Pepper followed Bruce upstairs, as was usual. Tony smirked at that. Even though he knew nothing was happening, he still liked to get his humor out of things. Loki followed them, as usual too. Mostly out of awkwardness.   
        Tony usually went on his own to his secret workshop bathroom. He used that for his quiet time before rejoining his friends. There was a huge double bathroom there, but he only ever used the one shower. He didn't let anyone follow him. Except..Steve looked at him awkwardly, blushing already. Tony forgot that this was Steve's first time showering here.   
        "Oh, Steve. I forgot. This is your first time showering here, huh?" Steve nodded, blushing. "Alright. You can..follow me, or I mean, there are other bathrooms if you want to go in any of them..I mean, it's your choice.." Tony scratched the back of his head, trailing off awkwardly. He felt himself blushing. Just marvelous.   
        "I, uhh..would you mind if...could I maybe...just..follow you? I mean..there are two separate showers, right?" Tony nodded, and Steve continued, looking down. "Then yeah, would that be uhh..alright?" Steve was now fidgeting embarrassingly.   
        "Yeah that's fine. Let's go.." Tony said, trying not to dwell so much on the impending events. They made their way upstairs, through the lab, and all the way back to that secluded bathroom, where they shut the door and stood awkwardly.   
        "Okay, so um...yeah. You can use whichever you want..." Tony said, looking away. He really hoped Steve wouldn't strip down out here. He didn't know if his little fangirl heart could handle that.   
        "Right. Thanks. I'll just...this one. Thanks. I..yeah." Steve made his way awkwardly to the shower on the right, Tony's usual shower. Tony shuddered at the thought of that, before-NOPE. Stop it. He blushed as Steve's shirt flew over the closed curtain, then his pants, and then-when he felt he was ready to spontaneously combust-his boxers. Tony put all thoughts out of his mind before getting into the shower, and undressing himself. He felt the hot water cascading down as he scrubbed all of the remnants of cookie dough off of him. He was in the middle of shampooing his hair for the second time when he heard Steve say something.   
            "What's that?" Tony asked, stepping out of the direct spray.   
            "I said..are you ready to tell everyone?" Steve spoke up again, his voice carrying over the tall shower wall between them.   
            Tony thought about that. Who else did they still need to tell? Clint, Nat, Loki...was that it? Was HE ready to tell? He felt a realization hit him hard when he decided that he really WAS ready to tell.   
          "I...yes. I am. Are you?" Tony called, soaping his hair up once again.   
         "I am. I'm tired of having to hold back; I don't want to hide "us" with people who we consider friends." he heard a boldness in Steve's voice that took him by surprise. He thought Steve was the one who didn't wanna tell. Well then.  
            "We're still only telling them, right? Not the whole school." Tony asked, rinsing the suds out of his hair, only to find more cookie dough. He sighed as he put more shampoo in his otherwise squeaky clean hair. Who had even put it in his hair? Clint? He made a note to get back at him later somehow. "I mean...believe me, I hate hiding "us" from people too, but...I dunno, I guess what  saying is...that shit is serious, Steve. And I mean....I'd deal with the attention and rumors and comments and everything for you. Believe me. I just don't want you to have to deal with it for me..I mean...no one else really suspects anything right? They just think we're best friends."   
          "Tony..." Tony heard Steve's water shut off then, and he froze as he heard the curtain open. 'Bad thoughts bad thoughts bad thoughts....' he thought to himself frantically, squeezing his eyes shut and ducking his head under the spray once again. "Tony, I already told you this. I /don't/ care what people say, what people do. I'll deal with it. I...dealt with it before. It would be nothing new. But...I mean...I could handle it. For you." Steve's voice muffled as he towel led himself off. "I would. I promise you that. But it's your choice. We don't have to fully come out to EVERYONE just yet."   
        Tony shut his water off. He closed his eyes, wondering what the best way to get out without flashing or being flashed. "Uhh, Steve...?"  
        "What?"   
        "Are you...decent?" He wasn't sure how to word that, and grimaced at his awkwardness.   
        "Yeah umm no. I'll...go somewhere till you're...uh..covered."   
         "Okay...thanks." Tony grimaced. This had never been this awkward when he showered with Clint. Okay, not WITH per se, but NEAR. And...okay, band camp...shower parties...'nuff said. But really. He had seen Clint's junk a handful of times and Clint had seen him, so he didn't know why THIS was so awkward. He shuddered, and stood there behind the closed curtain, dripping and shivering, as he listened for Steve to walk out. Once he did, Tony jumped out of the shower. Before he knew what was happening, he was on the ground with his wrist jutted out at an unnatural angle. Well, fuck.   
       "Owww..um...Steve...?" Tony called, wincing as pain shot up his arm.   
       "Tony? Are you alright? What...oh, oh my god. Um..." Steve, still with the towel around his waist, had rushed in at that exact moment to find a very naked, very red Tony Stark sitting in a puddle of water outside his shower. 

Steve: Steve tried his best to avoid looking at Tony's....manhood. He found it best to maintain a staring contest with the wall, and worded his next question while doing so.   
        "What...what happened? Are you...okay?"   
         "I...slipped, and I...oww, I think it's broken..." he could hear the pain in Tony's voice, wavering as if he was almost in tears. Steve felt a pang in his chest and sprang into action. He threw a towel over Tony's lap and crouched down next to him, forgetting that he, too, was wearing a towel. He rushed out to the hall and threw his boxers on before rushing back in and crouching again.   
        His stomach turned. Tony's wrist was twisted unnaturally, and was most definitely broken. He lifted his wrist gingerly, apologizing profusely when Tony winced.   
       "Sorry, sorry...I....sorry. What do you want me to do?" Steve asked, sitting back on his haunches. "Um...I'm guessing you need my help getting dressed so we can take you to the ER.."   
       "ER?! What?! No, Steve, it's probably just a sprain, I don't need to go to the hospital..." Tony made a move to stand up but Steve put a hand on his chest and stopped him. He brought him back down to the floor, looking him in the eye.   
        "Tony, you're going to the ER. Your wrist is broken. You're going." And with that, he stood up to get dressed. Once he was dressed, he walked back to where Tony was pouting, and began getting him dressed. It was awkward at the most, but better than he expected. He was too worried about his arm to feel weird. Once done, Steve put an arm around Tony's shoulders and walked him upstairs.   
       They found the rest of everyone in the movie room, clean and waiting expectantly. Everyone had looks of confusion that turned to worry as Tony rounded the corner.   
      "What happened?!" Immediately Pepper was running over, swooping down on Tony like a mother hen.   
      "I'm alright, I just sprained my wrist. Don't worry about it.." Tony tried to squeeze past her but Clint blocked the way.   
       "Yeah asshole, you're fine? I haven't seen such a perfect 90 degree angle since geometry last year. You NEED to go to the hospital. Come on, we'll all go." and with that, they found themselves all packed in Pepper's car, being driven to the ER. It was amazing how everyone fit. But they did. Desperate times, you know.   
       A few hours later, they were back in Tony's movie room, all on the floor in the darkness, with their nests of blankets everywhere.   
       "What time is it?" yawned Pepper, scooting closer to Bruce.   
       "1 am.." yawned back Clint, shifting as Nat settled in beside him.   
       "Alright, let's just watch the movie now." Tony said, moving closer to Steve despite his big, awkward cast, and Steve felt the warmth of him SO close. He started to reach out towards him, then remembered they had never gotten around to telling people. He nudged Tony.   
      "What?" Tony looked up at him. "Oh...I forgot. Okay. Want me to or are you gonna?"   
        "....I will." Steve said, feeling the conviction of his words drain into him. "Guys...me and Tony...we're kind of..together."

Tony: As Steve told everyone, he watched their reactions. Bruce and Pepper smiled smugly, yet proudly, like Tony and Steve were their children that they "raised so well". Clint got a smile and clapped them on the backs, saying how happy he was for both of them, and giving his approval. Nat merely smiled and said "I thought so." without giving any explanation. Loki clapped excitedly, and everyone kinda rushed in for a massive group hug. Tony felt..right. At home. He smiled, and held onto Steve so much tighter, because now he could.   
       Pepper went upstairs to make more cocoa, and they all settled in in their spots to watch whatever movie they picked. It was a cheesy old holiday movie, but no one cared because they were so content. Tony settled back into Steve's embrace and felt himself drift off into a peaceful slumber, truly happy. 


	11. Thanks to Give

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanksgiving comes around.

Steve: Steve stood in his room straightening his tie and smoothing his khakis. He looked in the mirror, nervously fidgeting once again.  
       "Steve..you gotta pull yourself together in front of your family. They're all gonna be here..are you SURE you're ready for this?" he heard Tony ask skeptically from where he was sitting on Steve's bed behind him. He watching him get up and walk to where he was standing, putting an arm around his boyfriend's waist to calm his nerves. Steve tried to breathe deeply and relax, but failed miserably and ended up being halfway to hyperventilating. He couldn't believe how nervous he was. He was gonna come out to his family...finally. And what better time to do it than when they were all there?   
      However, Steve was growing more and more apprehensive by the second. He didn't know if he could do this. They had only come out to all of their friends a few days ago, and all that was left were their families. Tony had decided to unceremoniously tell his at some point when they were both actually home rather than at some prestigious gala. Steve, however, believed in the band-aid method, but was now starting to regret his decision. He really lo.....liked Tony, and didn't want to hide it. But...there was something just so intimidating about this that he had the shakes.   
       "Steve? Steve, you alright?" Tony asked, looking up into Steve's face concernedly. Steve was shaken from his thoughts, and he looked down at the shorter of the two in surprise.   
        "I, uh..yeah. Sorry." he went back to fixing his tie for what seemed to be the 20th time, and was stopped by Tony stepping in his line of view. Steve noticed Tony's cast clunking awkwardly into the mirrors edge as he stepped closer to it.   
       "Steve. You don't have to tell them yet if you don't want to." Tony looked earnestly into Steve's eyes. Steve noticed that since they had been together, Tony had stopped wearing his sunglasses so much, and instead wore his regular, prescription glasses. Steve has seen more of his eyes lately, and loved it. He knew that it must've taken a lot to get Tony to open up that much to him. And he loved that. He loved knowing that he trusted him, and loved knowing that he trusted Tony right back. He loved everything about this. Everything.     
       "Tony..." Steve began, sighing. "I...I can do it. I'm GOING to do it. I'll be fine. After this..tonight..let's do something. Just you and me. Okay?" Steve continued, stepping away from the mirror as he heard guests arriving. He turned to Tony, smiling half-heartedly. "Alright..let's go." He started to the door before turning suddenly and crossing the space between him and his confused boyfriend in two large steps. He grabbed both sides of Tony's face and kissed him full on the lips before turning once more and heading down the steps.   
      He greeted all of his relatives, and introduced them all to Tony.  
       "Hi Aunt Muriel... This is my...friend, Tony." Steve said, bending over to kiss his frail old great aunt.  
       She smiled and nodded, and he thought she may have winked at Tony. Apparently Tony thought so too, cause when Steve turned to look at him questioningly, Tony wore an expression of "Wtf did I just witness". Steve ducked his head as he laughed, and stepped away. He led Tony to the table, and they too their seats right next to each other.   
     "If I could say a prayer, before we eat.." John, Steve's adoptive father, said. Everybody bowed their heads and clasped their hands immediately. Steve did the same, then looked over at Tony. He wasn't sure how he'd react. But he merely followed suit and Steve smiled, listening as his father began to pray.   
      After they all said Amen, Steve took a deep breath. He felt Tony turn to him, and finally took that leap.   
       "Um..could I say something?" Steve said, clearing his throat and looking at the antique tablecloth. He reddened a little as everyone turned to him, and stood up. Now or never.   
       "Sure, Stevie. What is it?" Stacey asked, concerned. Steve felt the eyes of everyone on him, and looked toward Tony for support. Tony met his worried gaze with a reassuring one, and Steve steeled himself.   
       "Me and Tony..." he paused as he looked around from face to face, judging their reactions. "We're...um. We're together." He saw each face turn from confusion to understanding, acceptance, scandalization...every emotion was out there, and Steve began to wonder if he should've waited to drop this on his parents. But when he turned to them, he felt his worries wash away. They were both smiling proudly at their so. Stacey was blinking back tears while John just clapped Steve on the back, then Tony. They turned to each other, and smiled. This couldn't have gone better.   
       John stood up. "Well...Steve, we love you. Know that. We love you everyday. No matter what. We couldn't ask for a better son, and if you're happy, we're happy. And Tony...welcome to the family. Now come on, let's dig into this blessed feast. Go on!" Everyone cheered as he sat back down, and then dug into the massive spread of food that had been laid out before them, making small talk as Steve reached under the table, giving Tony's hand a reassuring squeeze, smiling harder than ever before. 

Tony: It had went well, coming out to Steve's family. They took it well. They were also insanely nice and welcoming, and Tony felt himself sliding right into their family, filling the void for him of his parents. Just in that afternoon alone, Tony felt as if they were more of a family to him than his own. That's how it was for him, though. All of his friends' families had pretty much adopted him by that point, as he was so close with all of them.  He had spent so much time at the Bartons'  when he was little that their whole family counted him as Clint's brother. Same with Pepper's family. At first they all thought he was her boyfriend or something, but then he just fell in with the family for good. Since freshman year, he and Bruce had become that close, and his family adopted him too. It wasn't like Tony was a moocher, or like he overstayed his welcome, it was just that he liked feeling close with those few people that he was close with, and that closeness was on a deep level. And it worked.   
      So now, everyone was grabbing their coats and donning their boots, hugging and kissing and waving their last goodbyes before walking out into the dark, snowy November night.  Tony stood back, watching as Steve said his goodbyes, finally shutting the door and sighing. He turned to Tony, a half smile on his face.   
       "Well. Now, like I said earlier,..we're going somewhere. Get your coat, princess." Steve said, smirking and heading back upstairs. Tony looked at him in awe, then followed. Jesus. Where had that confidence come from? Tony didn't know, but he knew he liked it.   
     After they had all of their winter wear on, they walked out to Steve's car and got in. Tony shivered; the pitch black night was bitingly cold and snowing so hard it was almost a whiteout. He turned to Steve hesitantly.   
       "Are you sure you wanna go out in this? It's coming down pretty hard." his teeth chattered as he struggled to warm himself. He saw Steve doing the same. Tony reached over, and grabbing Steve's hand, he settled back into his seat.   
        They drove like this, in silence, down the midnight black roads that shined with the melted snow reflecting off their headlights. It seemed as if they drove forever, before Steve finally pulled into what looked like the dilapidated parking lot of a crumbling old school building. The walls were broken and falling, and snow coated the abandoned linoleum floors, but to Tony, it still seemed....well, beautiful. He turned to his boyfriend as he shut off the car.   
       "Steve...? What's going on?" he asked, warily. He wasn't sure what they were doing here, but...no, he didn't think Steve was like that. He feared that Steve was less experienced than he was, which seemed almost impossible to him.   
       "Nothing. I've driven out here a lot. I've been coming here since I was little. I'd ride my bike out here. It's just...peaceful. I come here to escape the reality. Sometimes reality is too much. And...now that I have you, I feel like I should share this with you. So...here we are." Steve said, shrugging simply.   
      "I see. What is this, anyway?" Tony asked, swiveling in his seat so he could look at Steve head on.   
      "It's an old school building. It was abandoned decades ago, and everyone around has protested it being torn down. So they just let it stay. It's beautiful, right?" Steve had a shiny, hopeful, almost childlike sparkle in his eye that Tony had seen so many times before. Steve got that sparkle when talking about something especially beautiful. It was the artist in him.   
       "It's...yeah, it really is..." Tony said, in awe. He wasn't one for soft comments like that, but he couldn't deny it. Even in the darkness, he could tell that this place was one of the most beautiful he'd ever seen. Steve was like a kid in a candy store. The artistic value was just too much for him, Tony guessed. Then he remembered something.   
      "Hey, Stevie..." he smirked as Steve's head whipped around to glare at him, "You never did tell me about the Christmas story Johnny was talking about, you know..."   
      He saw Steve debate, before sighing and turning towards Tony. "Fine.. When I was 7, I...may or may not have given everyone in my family a view of my underwear on Christmas morning." Even in the dark, Tony could see Steve reddening. Try as he did, he couldn't manage to hold in his laughter as he snickered away.   
      "How...I....wait, wait....Steve, what...what kind..of underwear...were these?" Tony choked out between laughs.   
        "I...." Steve glared at his guffawing boyfriend, "....Toy Story..."   
         That just sent Tony over the edge even more. He couldn't handle this. He wiped his eyes, finally coming down from his laughter to see a very red Steve glaring at him.   
      "I...I'm sorry, St...Stevie..." he chuckled a little bit more before reaching over and grabbing Steve's hand once more. "But that's adorable...dear lord, the imagery I have right now...." he snickered once more.   
       The rest of the night was a blur. They sat there, listening to music, talking, laughing, cuddling, etc. Finally, it was time that they should really get home, and do they did. With a goodbye and a goodnight kiss, they parted ways in Tony's driveway.   
      Tony walked up his front steps alone. He smiled a little to himself, still happy about the way their day had turned out. Jarvis let him in, and he walked up his pristine steps to his huge bedroom. It was so dark and quiet, and unlike the darkness of Steve's car, this darkness was lonely.   
        He loosened his tie, before getting changed into his pajamas. Just as he laid down, he heard a buzz and his room lit up. He got up to see he had a new text. From Steve, it read:   
      
         ;Hey...I miss you already. It's so much colder without you. Can tomorrow just happen faster? Lol, I'm sorry for the cheesiness...but anyway, goodnight. Sweet dreams. Call me when you wake up. Night :) ;

Tony smiled. He replied with a quick "Goodnight, sweet dreams :)" before setting down his phone and laying down on his bed once again. Staring at the high, darkened ceiling, he thought that over. He wanted so badly to say more than that. After all, they had been dating for 2 months now. 2 of the best months of Tony's life. He couldn't imagine himself with anyone else, ever...and that was definitely surprising, considering his history of commitment and trust. He...knew what he felt for Steve, and it was so strong it hurt. But he didn't know how Steve would take that. He couldn't tell him yet. He didn't want to scare him off.   
      Tony felt himself drifting off in a deep, peaceful sleep, the feeling of Steve's hand in his making him warm all over. 


	12. Famous Last Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No summary here. You'll just have to read it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a shorter chapter, just for the sake of suspension.

~~1 month or so later~~~  
The month before Christmas had flown by. It had been a mix of projects, snow, hot chocolate, and good spirits. Soon enough, it was Christmas, and the holiday season was spent with family, and for the group, each was a good Christmas. Fast forwarding to the last day of Christmas break, where we pick back up. ~~~~~~~

Tony: "Steve, are you sure that was all the homework we had?" Tony asked, packing up his books into his book bag. It was getting late, and the snow was falling quite heavily by now, and they would have to go back to school tomorrow. Tony was going to head home, as it was getting late out.   
       "Yeah, that was it. You finished the History stuff?" Steve asked, shuffling his own papers.  
        "Yup. All done." Tony stood up, looking at his boyfriend, butterflies in his stomach. "Well, this is goodbye. Until tomorrow." he stood there awkwardly, before Steve pulled him forcefully into a crushing hug.   
        "Bye..." Steve said once he let go,  looking at him wistfully.   
        This was it. He had made up his mind. He was gonna do it. "Steve..." he began, stomach churning. "Steve...I...I love you." he looked up when he heard a deafening silence, to see Steve with a very confused expression. He felt his heart crack.   
      "St...Steve?" Tony asked, feeling his voice crack and his heart follow suit.   
       Steve looked down at him, still looking confused. "I..." he broke off, looking away.   
       Tony felt his heart shatter. He had never hurt so bad. Not when he broke his wrist, not any of his other various injuries...no, this was definitely the worst. He felt his eyes welling up, filling to the brim. He remembered he didn't wear his sunglasses around Steve anymore, and secretly damned himself to Hell and back. He looked down, and wiped his hot, stinging eyes as the tears threatened to overflow. "Fine," he said, gathering his stuff. "I guess I'll just...bye." and he headed to the door.   
       "Tony, wait. I..." he turned around to see Steve looking down at the ground with a very hurt expression. "I..." And no more words came out.   
        Tony felt himself breaking. "That's what I thought." And with that, he slammed the door and walked out to his car. 

Steve: Steve couldn't believe his stupidity. Of course he wanted to say that back to Tony, and he knew he felt the same way. He just couldn't bring himself to do it, and had hurt the most important person in his life. He sat down on his couch, and for the first time in months, felt tears coming to his eyes. What had he done...

Tony: The snow was coming down so hard that Tony couldn't see a foot in front of himself. That may have also had something to do with the fact that his eyes were gushing and his sobs were deafening. He had snot running down his face, and was shaking from the sobs. He had never cried this hard. Not with the bullies, not with the comments, not with the constant loneliness.. He had never hurt so bad.   
      He didn't know what the worst part was. The obvious rejection, or the embarrassment at opening himself up that much. He wished he would've at least replied. Tony didn't know what to think. He heard his phone go off several times, but ignored them all.   
          He was driving at least 20 miles over the speed limit. He didn't think anything of it, it was just the usual. The roads were slick, as the snow was melting and freezing again into deadly black ice. So when he saw lights approaching ahead, slamming on the brakes did nothing but spin him out of control, till he was hurtling towards the lights faster than he could even scream.   
      He felt the impact. Felt the pain, traveling in waves through him, as he tugged at the edges of consciousness. He felt a crushing pain on the left side of his chest. He could hardly breathe. He was trapped, and there were sirens everywhere. The sounds of the sirens blurred until he sunk into a deep, deep blackness where nothing hurt anymore. 

Steve: "You've reached the voicemail of Tony Stark. Leave a message and I will make sure Master Stark tends to it." Steve hung up after the beep, chucking his phone across the room. He had heard that same message about 10 times now, and felt hopeless. He lay back on his bed, wondering what to do.   
      He knew Tony was just ignoring him. He lay there, feeling the hot, angry tears forming in his eyes but not quite making it out all the way. He lay there for what felt like forever, when his phone began to ring. He looked over and saw it was Pepper. He picked it up.   
       "Hi, Pep." he answered, laying back down.   
        "St...Steve?" he heard her voice break, and wondered what was up. Had something happened with her and Bruce?   
           "Pep, what's wrong? What happened?"   
           Sobbing on the other end. He wait impatiently, till she finally answered.   
          "It's Tony." 


	13. Midnight City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting again! I've taken too long off of posting to this so I'm picking it back up again for you guys.

Chapter 13: Midnight City   
Tony: There was nothing in this sweet, thick darkness. He was content. Had he died? Is this what came after? Just this..endless, eternal floating. He didn’t know. He didn’t care. Nothing mattered. Nothing existed but darkness.  He vaguely heard shouting, and sirens, and eventually beeping. He felt nothing. He thought about how weird those sounds were to be in the afterlife. The beeping continued. The blackness stretched on forever.   Steve: “I…what? Tony? What happened? Pepper, what happened? Is he alright?” Steve sat straight up, and felt himself began to hyperventilate. What had he done… “He…he got in an accident…they life flighted him to the hospital and put him in immediate surgery…they…” she drew in a shaky breath, before letting it out in a tremulous sob. “Steve, they…they don’t know if he’ll make it…”  Steve felt everything break. The tears flowed, and he sobbed like he’d never sobbed before. He didn’t even care that she was still on the other line. They sobbed together.  “Steve, I’m going up there now…want me to come pick you up?”  “Definitely…thank you, Pepper.” “I’ll be there in 5 minutes, tops.” and she hung up the phone. He got ready to leave, and went outside to wait.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~ They pulled into the hospital in record time. Pepper could have a lead foot if she wanted to. They picked up Bruce and Clint along the way, and all headed straight up to the waiting room of the ER.  There were only two others. A tall man with a thin mustache, who looked disturbingly like Tony, and a pretty, brown haired woman. They stood together, looking worried as can be. Steve figured they were Tony’s parents. As soon as they walked in, Tony’s mother-Maria-saw them, and rushed over to hug Pepper. They both sobbed together, hugging for what seemed like forever. She hugged each of them in turn.  “Thank you all for coming…” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Do they have any word on him?” Pepper asked, voice still cracking. “When he crashed, a piece of glass snapped from the windshield and pierce his left lung…it collapsed, so they had to do emergency surgery, and induce a coma so his body can heal. He also has a shattered left leg. He went into surgery about 30 minutes ago. No word since.” Tony’s father, Howard, spoke up this time. Steve couldn’t believe this.  “Is..will he be alright?” croaked Steve, staring at the bland, gray carpet that lined the floor.  “He…they don’t know.” and surprisingly, he heard Howard’s smooth voice break.  They sat there, briefing the kids on what happened. Tony had been speeding, and spun out when he braked to avoid a car. He still crashed too, and his car was totaled. The other person had a few minor injuries, but was able to walk away. The left side of his car is totally crushed, and they had to pry open the doors to get him out. It was a horrible accident, and he shouldn’t have survived it. They still didn’t know if he would. Steve couldn’t stop his tears. None of them could. Even Clint and Bruce were sobbing. He had never seen them break down like this. They all sat, hand in hand, waiting hour after hour for anyone to come out and give them news. Any news.  The waiting was killing him. He couldn’t handle it. He needed to know that Tony was alive, that he would be fine. He needed him more than air. He didn’t know how to cope. He couldn’t cope. It was all too much.  “Mr. and Mrs. Stark?” Steve’s head snapped up to see a middle-aged female nurse approaching with a clipboard.  “Yes?” replied Howard, standing up.  “Tony’s out of surgery. He’s in recovery.”  Steve felt his spirits lift. He..he was alive! He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t know if he’d make it. He felt the weight lifted off his chest.  “Is…everything alright?” asked Maria warily.  “Everything LOOKS okay…he’s in a coma though, in order to let his body heal. If you’d like to see him…” she gestured behind her, to the massive steel double doors.  They all followed behind her, hall after hall of tedious, sterile white. Finally, they went into a room, room 101, and Steve gasped at what he saw.  The Tony he saw a few hours ago was not the boy who lay broken in front of him. He had scratches all on his face, a tube up his nose, and a cast on his leg. He was bruising already. There were innumerable tubes and wires and machines hooked up to him. Steve felt himself crying again. How could he have done this to Tony?   
Tony: Tony could vaguely feel himself coming to. But when he tried to move, nothing happened. He felt himself resurfacing, but he was trapped inside his body. He couldn’t open his eyes to see, but he knew people were there. He listened to their voices. He found his mom, his dad, Pepper, Bruce, Clint, and…and Steve. He heard them all choking up, and he couldn’t believe that. He just..listened, cause what else was there to do?   
Steve: “I’ll let you kids have some time in here alone..come on, Maria. Let’s take a walk.” said Howard, grabbing his wife by the arm and gently towing her away.  Steve looked at his friends. Pepper turned to Steve at that same time. “Steve…go ahead. We’ll give you some time..I know it must be hard. Come on, guys.” and she pulled Clint and Bruce into the hall. Steve watched them leave, then stood there at the foot of Tony’s bed for a moment before rushing to his side.  He kneeled by his side, and took Tony’s bloodied, bruised right hand. He felt himself sobbing once again. How could this have all happened in a matter of hours?  “Tony,…” he said, sobbing his name. “Tony, Tony, Tony…how could…Tony, I….I’m so sorry….how could I have done this to you…Tony, I…I love you….” Steve sobbed, because he knew that that was the trouble. He should’ve just come out and told him before this, and they could’ve been happy, and not broken like this.  “I love you…” Steve said, tears dropping onto Tony’s broken body.   
Tony: This blackness, it was infinite. He vaguely heard his parents’ voices, and wondered if he had just imagined that. Then he felt a pressure on his hand, and heard silence.  Then sobbing. He heard heart-wrenching, full out sobbing. Who was this? Then he knew. Steve.  He heard Steve saying his name, sobbing it. Then he heard Steve talking some more in between sobs.  “I’m so sorry…how could I have done this to you…Tony, I…I love you…” Tony was floored. He heard these words through the inky blackness that was his world right now. He screamed “I love you!” soundlessly, and pounded endlessly on the walls of his own mind. Steve actually said it. But…Tony tried opening his eyes. He couldn’t. If he could open them, he could look into Steve’s eyes and see if he was telling the truth or not. He felt uneasy at this.  Tony wished he could control his body. He wished he wasn’t trapped in this midnight city. But he was. And he would be for who knew how long.


End file.
